FELLOW Muslim Filipinos started to question why the attention of many about the issue on Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) was relaxed from media coverage in these past few days. Well, there are equally relevant attention-grabbing issues in the country nowadays.
What is interesting though is the fact that when pressing issues are about to be openly discussed and legally questioned, the media are easily distracted by the noise of other spotlight grabbing individuals.
Like the BBL, even if there are too many pro BBLs, discussions about its approval, dilution, etc. were drowned out by other issues happening in the north. If we are to scan through national newspapers and online papers, we see how the issue is relatively silenced each day.
I am not blaming the media for this. Sometimes, we just have to prioritize some equally relevant issues. However, I just hope that when we get back on track, we can act responsibly and think deeply.
I am more interested in knowing how would people of Mindanao especially the Muslim Mindanaoans feel about the final result of a possible diluted BBL. What if the nationally approved BBL would not be as good as we thought and worse, the current RA 9054 is a lot better?
Interesting isn’t it? What would we do then? Will the strong and noisy bashers of today be as loud tomorrow? Will they be celebrating or mourning with us?
As an ordinary Muslimah, I cannot help but be critical about this again. I cannot just let this possibility slip my mind without being so vigilant about the possible outcome of the BBL. In fact, if the current anti-BBL marchers were considered premature, we might become like them when a diluted BBL is given to all of us.
We can remain idle for now but we have to be more sensitive in the next few steps of our legislators. We might be lured by many issues around us and many arguments thrown against us just to distract our attention. We might not feel how the people behind the legislation can be so technically good in pursuing what is more dangerous for us.
If there is truth to the affirmations of Anti-BBL marchers in claiming that FAB and CAB did not conform with the consultation requirement under Executive Order No. 3 and the Memorandum of Instructions of the President, in violation of the constitutional right of the people to information on matters of public concern under Section 7, Article III of the Constitution, then we have to check on ourselves religiously.
If we consider the widely known FAB and CAB as this, then can we consider the Marcos’ version of BBL as something better without the people in Mindanao’s approval?
However, I may agree on the idea that if the process of BBL is taking a lot of time and may destroy many of what have been already in place in the current RA 9054, an amendment to make better the current Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) is a better and acceptable alternative.
If people of Mindanao see the RA 9054 as a law that doesn’t fit its people, then amending it will not be a great sin to humanity. We can make amendments that can tailor our needs in this present time and capacity.
I am just an ordinary Muslim Filipino from this southern part of the country who is also witnessing the ups and downs of my region, yet I see hope at the end of the line.
I still hold on to what I always tell myself and the rest of my readers that God Almighty, when sincerely called upon by His believers, will not give to them what they do not deserve in this world. I believe in His might and to His divine providence.
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