Palace bent on pushing BBL passage

MANILA, Philippines - Malacañang is determined to push the passage of the Bangsamoro Basic Law and has thanked ambassadors who expressed support for the peace process amid issues hampering the BBL, a Palace official said yesterday.

Presidential Communications Operations Office Secretary Herminio Coloma gave assurance that the government would continue to work with Congress for the timely passage of the BBL.

“The government’s determination to continue the peace process through the passage of the Bangsamoro Basic Law is unyielding,” Coloma said over state-run radio dzRB. 

A priority measure of Malacañang, the BBL seeks to implement the peace accord signed by the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) last year.

The measure will replace the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao with a new Bangsamoro entity with greater economic and political powers.

Last week, diplomats urged the government and the MILF to remain engaged in the peace process.

They expressed concern over the delay in the passage of the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB) because Congress has yet to pass the proposed BBL.

Congress adjourned session last week without approving the BBL but lawmakers claimed they still have time to discuss and pass the measure before the Christmas break.

Misuari denies MNLF supports BBL

Meanwhile, the Nur Misuari faction of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) denied that it was supporting the BBL in its present form, slamming such reports as propaganda.

Habib Mujahab Hashim, MNLF Islamic Command Council (ICC) chairman, was furious over a released statement, which said that both the MNLF and the MILF are supporting the BBL.

“(To say that the) MNLF, MILF agreed to support BBL in its present form is misleading. The MNLF does not agree to support the BBL. It’s misleading the people and it’s misleading the OIC (Organization of Islamic Cooperation) itself,” Hashim said over the weekend.

It appeared that the Muslimin Sema faction of the MNLF and MILF chairman Ebrahim Murad issued a joint statement that called for the passage of an “undiluted” BBL after a meeting on Oct. 3 in Camp Darapanan, Maguindanao. Both declared that a diluted BBL will not conform with the implementation of the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB) forged last year and 1996 MNLF final peace agreement (FPA).

“Please be informed that Mu (Muslimin) Sema and his group do not represent the whole of the MNLF. It is a faction or a fraction of MNLF. I would say a majority, 90 to 95 percent of the MNLF, are against BBL in its present form,” Hashim declared.

Hashim maintained the mainstream MNLF strongly objected to the BBL for two reasons: “it is unconstitutional and illegal.”

He said the BBL is illegal because of the existing peace agreement between the Philippine government and the MNLF, which is supposed to be in its last stage of implementation but would be cut short after the Aquino administration enters into another agreement. – With Roel Pareño