THE Moro Islamic Liberation Front on Monday warned of a possible leadership vacuum if the government fails to pass the long-awaited Bangsamoro Basic Law, a campaign promise of President Rodrigo Duterte, before the end of this year.
In a statement, MILF Vice Chairman Ghadzali Jaafar said he hoped that Congress would make good on its promise to pass the proposed BBL this year.
“We expect this to happen because in 2019 the terms of our assemblymen in the ARMM will end, and when it ends and there is no BBL there will be a vacuum,” said Jaafar, who is also chairman of the Bangsamoro Transition Commission.
Jaafar said the government should speed up the passing of the BBL bill, which was needed for the conduct of the plebiscite within the Bangsamoro government’s territory.
“If the BBL is passed by March or June, I think it will just be perfect because after its passage, the plebiscite will take place for the people to ratify or reject the BBL,” Jaafar said.
MILF peace implementing panel head Mohagher Iqbal said Congress could technically enhance the BBL but the changes should still be consistent with the signed agreements.
“Of course, when we submitted the BBL to the Office of the President and eventually to Congress, we did not say that Congress could not improve and enhance the BBL,” Iqbal said.
Iqbal said it was crucial that the law should be consistent with the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro and the aspirations of the Bangsamoro people. John Paolo Bencito
“If the law passed by Congress will not address the concerns and aspirations of the Moro people, then you know that giving bad medicine is worse than not giving medicine at all. We want a good BBL that would really address the problems of Mindanao,” Iqbal said.
He said the BBL should be passed this year, and especially because both the speaker of the House and the Senate president were from Mindanao.
“The President’s allies in both the lower and upper house are in control of the Congress, so he can do it if he wants to pass the BBL and we are very sure about that,” Iqbal said.