IS THE Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) constitutional? I am no legal expert but if the BBL replaces the ARMM (Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao) which was created by the Constitution, wouldn’t the abolition of the ARMM necessitate a Constitutional amendment? Can the ARMM be abolished by mere legislation?
Additionally, does Congress have the power to create a political entity which has the characteristics of a state with exclusive powers? It is not clear whether some of the powers to be vested in the BBL are equal or subsidiary to the state.
Why does the BBL provide for a separate Commission on Audit, Civil Service Commission and Commission on Elections for the Bangsamoro region? Why does the BBL remove jurisdiction of the office of the Ombudsman over officials of the Bangsamoro region? With the passage of the BBL, are we giving the Bangsamoro region, autonomy or are we ceding sovereignty of a part of our country?
The BBL allows the Bangsamoro government to keep 75 percent of taxes in their region and to get a sizeable share of revenues from natural resources. A reduction in share of government revenues will mean a reduction in basic government services for the rest of the country. Will this result into new taxes?
The passage of the BBL will affect the entire nation. Why should the results of Congress deliberations be subject to a plebiscite only for the people of the Bangsamoro region and not for the entire Filipino population?
The actions of Peace Panel Chair Miriam Coronel-Ferrer and Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process Teresita Quintos-Deles in defense of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) have shaken my confidence in their ability to effectively negotiate in behalf of the government.
I understand they have labored hard and are aghast at the possible death of the BBL but must their first instinct be to leap to the defense of the MILF during the Mamasapano congressional hearings? On which side do Ferrer and Deles now sit? On the government side? Or on the Bangsamoro side?
The MILF say their people simply acted in self-defense when they shot at government troops out to arrest two international terrorists. Self-defense? The mission was clarified early on and the message relayed to the peace panel. The firefight lasted for 12 hours. If it started as a mis-encounter and misunderstanding, it certainly ended as a massacre.
The MILF claim they did not harbor Marwan & Usman even as reports say Marwan left 300 bomb-makers in Mindanao. The MILF has shown no cooperation in turning in Usman or neutralizing the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) whom they claim is a breakaway group responsible for the deaths of the 44 troopers.
If the MILF cannot even return the arms and personal belongings of the fallen 44, how can we trust them to successfully lay down their arms? If the MILF cannot control the BIFF now, what can the BBL really achieve?
The president is hell-bent on getting the BBL passed as his presidential legacy. We all want peace but let us not be so enamored with the idea of achieving elusive peace in Mindanao that we become blind to certain realities. I say, yes to BBL – Bring Back the Law in our country.