Murad asks Duterte to clarify position on BBL

CAMP Darapanan, Sultan Kudarat, Maguindanao–The chair of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) is seeking clarification on the peace policy of the Duterte administration.

This came following President Duterte’s pronouncement that he would push for the shift to a federal system of government first, incorporating the provisions of the proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL), but move for the passage of the BBL if federalism is rejected by the Filipino people during the plebiscite on the proposed new Constitution.

“We were surprised because that was not his previous stand,” said MILF chair Al-Hajj Murad Ebrahim Murad.

Duterte visited this camp in Feb. 27 and told the MILF Central Committee that he would work for the amendment of the 1987 Constitution to change the system of government to federal but “if it takes time, and if only to defuse tension, in my government I will convince Congress to pass the BBL then make it as a template for federal states.”

Duterte also stressed the need to correct the historical injustices committed against the Moro people and vowed to shift to federalism.

He said he would also tell Nur Misuari, founding chair of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF), “let’s copy that in Mindanao and in the rest of the Philippines.”

Duterte, who introduced himself in his campaign sorties as having a Maranao grandmother, declared in the rally that if he won, “one foot of the Moro is already in Malacañang.”

Murad said that during his 20-minute “one-on-one” talk with Duterte at Hotel Elena in Davao City on June 17, “I emphasized to him that it is important that the BBL comes first because while federalism may address the entire problem of the nation, it may not adequately address the Bangsamoro problem.”

Murad also said the shift to federalism may take longer than what presumptive Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez envisions: by mid-term election of 2019.

He cited Duterte’s campaign promise to make the Bangsamoro a template for federalism as the shift to federal might take long.

Murad said they are trying to communicate with the President or the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process to express their concern about the pronouncement, about “what is the real policy of the administration.”

The Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) had touched base with the MILF in a meeting in Davao City in July 12 on cooperation and coordination in the campaign against illegal drugs in “MILF-affected areas” but as of July 14, the Opapp had yet to engage with the MILF on how to move forward in the peace process under the Duterte administration.

Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process Jesus Dureza said he would be presenting the peace roadmap to Duterte tonight.

He said they would engage with the MILF “pag ma-OK ni President ang roadmap Monday evening.”

Earlier, Muslimin Sema, MNLF secretary-general when it signed the 1996 Final Peace Agreement (FPA) and now chair of one of the factions of the MNLF, said their expectation of the Duterte administration was that it would implement first the peace agreements signed with the Moro fronts.

“That’s the reason we initiated with the MILF the convergence and harmonization of the peace tracks so it would be easy for the new administration to move on. The background and result of the peace agreement the Moro fronts signed with the government is far different from merely decentralizing administration. So implementing this agreement ahead of the federalization plan might be better part of wisdom rather than let it wait until federalization is decided,” Sema explained.

“So many people had been involved in finding peaceful solution to the century-old problem in Mindanao and we found it at last. The compromises accepted by the Moro fronts must be honored and respected,” he said.

Randolph Parcasio, spokesperson of Misuari, said “OK sa federalism” but if it is rejected in the plebiscite, “asa na FPA?”

Parcasio was referring to the Final Peace Agreement (FPA) the MNLF signed with government in 1996 which has not been fully implemented.

In June 25, Murad said the draft BBL submitted to Congress in 2014 would be “improved” through a convergence of the 2014 CAB (Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro) between the GPH and the MILF and the 1996 FPA between the GPH and the MNLF before it is presented to the 17th Congress.

He expects the “convergence” to be done through the Bangsamoro Coordination Forum (BCF) that the 57-nation Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) initiated in 2010 and which OIC Secretary General Iyad Ameen Madani strengthened during his visit in Davao City in April last year.

Duterte announced before hundreds of Moro religious and political leaders attending the Mindanao Hariraya Eid’l Fitr 2016 at the SMX Convention Center in Davao City in July 8 that he hoped to have his federalism framework in place by the end of the year, apparently with the proposal to incorporate the provisions of the proposed BBL into the new Constitution of a federal Philippines. He vowed that if Filipinos rejected the shift to federalism during the plebiscite, “then I am ready to concede whatever is there in the (proposed) BBL.”

“We will see to it that it will pass,” he promised.

Resolution of Both Houses No. 1 has been filed in the 17th Congress calling for a Constitutional Convention whose members shall be elected by January 2017.

He said if he succeeds in convincing the MILF and the MNLF to agree to federalism, “there will be a reconfiguration of the territory and most of them will occupy the regional or state positions.”

If federalism is rejected, he would push for the passage of the BBL and “what you give to the MI, must be given to MN kasi pareho lang eh” (because they’re the same.

He also said that in fairness to Nur (Misuari), “we might also configure his territory of the Tausug nation.”

“Then, we will have new boundaries and these boundaries do not really intend to separate our brother Moro from the Christian” but is intended only to “delineate territories” and “not keep us apart from being Mindanawons,” Duterte said, adding that most of the Christians in Mindanao “are supporting the federalism and the BBL.”

Alvarez said “once a federal system of government is in place, there would be no need for a Bangsamoro Basic Law because Muslim Mindanao will already have its own autonomous region co-existing with other autonomous regions.” (carolyn o. arguillas / mindanews)