SENATOR Antonio Trillanes IV on Monday said that Congress will ensure that all stakeholders are consulted before the proposed basic law for the envisioned Bangsamoro political entity is enacted.
"We just have to consult with the stakeholders to make sure that nobody will be marginalized or will be affected negatively with the peace agreement," Trillanes, chairman of the Senate committee on national defense and security, told reporters.
Panels of both the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) signed the Annex on Normalization, the fourth and last annex of the Framework Agreement on the Bangsamoro (FAB), over the weekend in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
The next step for the Transition Commission is to craft the proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law and submit it to Congress for its approval. Once approved, the proposal will then be subjected to a plebiscite.
"It's a welcome development; however, we should approach this with caution dahil kailangan nating pag-aralan ng maayos ang agreement to make sure na hindi ito mag-create ng isang malaking problema later on," Trillanes said.
"Dahil may legislation na kailangan, ide-deliberate natin ng maayos 'yan so mahaba pa ang proseso pero it's a good start so maganda na kahit papaano, nagkaroon ng agreement," the senator added.
He said that he will also closely look into the security provisions contained in the proposal.
"I'll be looking at the security provisions; consulting with the PNP (Philippine National Police) and the Armed Forces to make sure that this will not create the problem that we are trying to solve," he said.
He said that when all armed groups in Mindanao are consulted in the crafting of the Bangsamoro Basic Law, it will be more effective in the long run.
President Benigno Aquino III earlier said in a newspaper report that he remains wary of groups, including the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF), who may try to spoil the peace in Mindanao. (Sunnex)