‘BBL not a magic bullet’

MANILA, Philippines — The passage of the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) is a step forward, but it will not solve all the problems in Muslim Mindanao, a former member of the government peace panel said.

Anna Tarhata Basman, former head of the legal team of the government panel in the BBL, said the law is not a silver bullet for the generations of problems besetting the Bangsamoro region.

“It is a step forward towards that goal of peace and development in the region, but definitely it cannot solve the host of problems in the region,” she said Wednesday night in an interview with The Chiefs aired on One News, the news channel of Cignal TV.

“(The region) suffered from years of neglect. It suffered from years of criminality born by the absence of government at some point in history, patronage politics at some point in history. All of these things will not be solved by the enactment of one law,” she added.

Basman stressed the importance of faithfully implementing the provisions of the law to prevent the rise of new groups that would feed on the frustrations of the people.

“There should be a realization that the full implementation, the good faith implementation of the peace agreement, has an effect on the emergence and growing of strength of new groups,” she said.

“We should realize that the emergence of these groups did not come from the signing of the peace agreement. It is the failure to implement it properly,” Basman added.

She noted that the versions recently approved in the House and Senate were acceptable to various parties involved in the peace process and in the crafting of the BBL.

“It covers the host of governance problems that the parties saw in the ARMM that if we keep true to those provisions, if they are retained and properly implemented, then I’m OK with that,” she said.

In the same program, Akbayan party-list Rep. Tom Villarin, a member of the technical working group that crafted the House version, agreed that the BBL should not be seen as a “cure all” for all the problems or concerns of the Bangsamoro people.

He recommended the crafting of a separate law that would address the historical injustices committed against the Muslims in Mindanao.

“While there is a provision on transitional justice, I think we also need a comprehensive law to address all (of these injustices),” he said.

“It should take some sort of a commission to really look into that. BBL is just a governance mechanism that tried to pull in different factions or groups,” he added.

Villarin said members of the bicameral conference committee can meet even when Congress is in recess to consolidate the Senate and House versions of the bill.

He said lawmakers can ratify the bicameral conference report when Congress resumes session on the day of the State of the Nation Address (SONA) of the President on July 23.

Reports earlier said that the President wants to sign the BBL on the day of his SONA.

Villarin, however, stressed that Congress should not rush passage of the law, noting there are major contentious provisions in the House and Senate versions of the BBL.

Enough time

Sen. Juan Miguel Zubiri, chairman of the subcommittee on the BBL, believes there is enough time for Congress to come up with a consolidated and final version of the measure that President Duterte can talk about in his SONA.

“We’ll just take a brief rest after the very tiring deliberations on the BBL and start working on the first week of July the bicam (bicameral conference committee),” Zubiri said in a telephone interview.

The committee, often referred to as the “third chamber of Congress,” is composed of representatives of the Senate and the House.

The Senate approved its version on Thursday with over 150 amendments from the 109-page draft written by the Bangsamoro Transition Commission (BTC), which is composed of representatives from the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, Moro National Liberation Front and other sectors in Mindanao.

The House version is closer to the BTC draft. The BBL seeks to replace the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM).

Zubiri, who will lead the Senate contingent to the bicameral committee, reiterated that the BBL, as passed by the Senate, would be able to withstand a constitutional challenge before the Supreme Court.

“We survived walking on a tightrope, balancing the search for peace, right to self-determination, governance and democracy… and we did it crossing party lines,” Zubiri said. “Even at this early stage, the BBL is a legacy for all the efforts to bring about peace and progress in lands which most experienced poverty, inequity and war in the Philippines.”

Also included in the Senate contingent are Minority Leader Franklin Drilon and Sens. Risa Hontiveros, Loren Legarda, Sonny Angara, Sherwin Gatchalian, Aquilino Pimentel III and Joel Villanueva.

Majority Leader Rodolfo Fariñas will lead the House contingent which will include Reps. Pedro Acharon Jr.. Mauyag Papandayan Jr., Ruby Sahali, Bai Sandra Sema, Pablo Bondoc, Johnny Ty Pimentel, Eugene Michael de Vera, Arthur Defensor Jr., Rodolfo Albano III, Amihilda Sangcopan, Wilter Wee Palma, Celso Lobregat, Mohamad Dimaporo, Abdullah Dimaporo, Romeo Acop, Seth Frederick Jalosjos and Angelina Tan. –  Jess Diaz, Paolo Romero