Lanao celebrates Mindanao Week of Peace - BBL hardly push

Provincial-wide multi-sectoral consultation & dialogue with participants composed of community & sectoral leaders hard
pushed for the passage of the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) in congress. The lack of quorum in congress is one of the reasons of the delay on the passage of the BBL hardly criticized by the participants. The civil society is now questioning before the ombudsman against the absenteeism of the congressmen during sessions for almost 4 months.

Lanao celebrates Mindanao week of peace - BBL hardly push
By Jun Enriquez

Iligan City (Dec. 6, 2015)  – It is usual for the people in Lanao del Norte and Iligan City celebrates the Mindanao Week of Peace (MWoP) as explained by Mr. Musa Sanguila, Director of Pakigdait, Inc., during a press conference held November 25, 2015 at the Macboy beach resort, Bacolod, Lanao del Norte. Sanguila said former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo issued Presidential Proclamation number 127 declaring from 2001 and every year thereafter that every last Thursday of November to first Wednesday of December is the Mindanao Week of Peace (MWoP) celebration. This year’s MWoP celebration falls on November 26 to December 2, bringing the theme “Sustaining the Gains of Our Peacebuilding.” Historically, years prior to the Proclamation in 2001, the MWoP celebration was conceptualized in 1997 by the Bishop-Ulama Forum composed of the Christians and Muslims religious leaders nationwide working for the just and lasting peace for Mindanao and later changed its name to Bishop-Ulama Conference.

Panel of speakers during the press conference from right to left,
Lt. Col. Doctolero, Musa Sanguila, Hon. Tawantawan & Bishop
Stephen Villaester of Anglican Chruch. 

This may recalled the major outbreak in Mindanao such as the all-out-war of President Erap in year 2000 was declared and started in Kauswagan, Lanao del Norte. Plenty of succeeding conflicts happened in the province including the all-out-war of President Arroyo in 2003, the offshoot of the memorandum of Agreement on Ancestral Domain (MOA-AD) controversy in 2008. All of these conflicts affected the lives of the civilian community and felt the impact of devastation. The cost of war in Mindanao for the past decades started in the 1970s was estimated to 640 billion pesos damage to economy on business and properties. Armed conflict has caused almost 120,000 deaths among the Filipinos. The children are unable to go to school. it caused environmental destruction and the loss of sense of well-being and security. The all-out-war of 2000 in Mindanao alone displaced 982,000 people and another displacement of 600,000 people due to the sporadic atrocities of the peace process.

The members of the media posed with the panel of speakers 

The implementation of the 1996 peace agreement of the Government and MNLF continued in Lanao del Norte. This manifest the implementation of the  Payapa at Masaganang pamayanan (PAMANA) projects funded by the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP), in conflict affected areas in the province amounted to at least half a billion pesos for the construction of farm-to-market roads, school buidlings, livelihood program and trainings, scholarship program for the children of the MNLF members and other rehabilitation program for the former MNLF combatants. Sanguila said that PAMANA projects is funded by the OPAPP, Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and the Department of Agriculture (DA). This also included the implementation of the Bottom-up-budgeting (BUB) projects from the National Anti-poverty Commission (NAPC) and Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) as the lead agencies. In Iligan City, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) is the only agency of the government implemented the BUB projects amounted to 8.0 Million mostly for livelihood projects in 2014.

Mr. Abel Moya of MPI facilitated an assessment workshop 
with the PAMANA beneficiaries. 

In the same press conference, Sangguniang Panlalawigan Board Member, Hon. Tawantawan Cauntungan, committee chairman on public safety and order, and Vice chairman of the Task force “rido” or clan feud, Chairman, local monitoring team of the ceasefire mechanism of the GPH-MILF peace process, representing the office of the governor, said that the provincial government of Lanao del Norte is committed to maintain peace and order in the province, and unity among the Muslims and Christians for development. He said that the civil society organization is the most reliable partner in peace of the provincial government. Cauntungan said there were plenty of “rido” cases already resolved and still with lined up of cases still to be resolved.

Bishop Stephen Villaester, of the Anglican Church, the Chairman of the Interfaith council of Iligan City and Lanao del Norte, cited the philosophy of an Indian leader Mahatma Ghandi and said “the resources of the earth is more than enough to fill everybody’s needs, but it is not enough to fill everybody’s greed.” He said if we talk on peace it should start in our heart. He said the Interfaith council for peace in Mindanao is composed of Islam, and different Christian religions including the Catholic church are united in the name of peace. Bishop Villaester said that the Interfaith council will not give up on BBL because they believed that it is an instrument of God or Allah for the just and lasting peace in Mindanao

Participants of the BBL community consultation & dialogue in
Munai, Lanao del Norte.

Lt. Col. Leomar Jose Doctolero, in his message during the conference said that the Philippine Army is working with the different stakeholders in achieving a common goal, the just and lasting for Lanao del Norte. The Military continued their efforts to implement Bayanihan program by conducting capacity building for the youth and children, youth peace summit, youth leadership trainings, sports for peace, so that they will become good citizens and achieve peace in the localities. Doctolero said that the Philippine Army will remain steadfast in their commitment to help maintain the peace and order in the province. He said that the Philippine Army in the past wanted to win the war but now they are trying to win the peace. He said helping and cooperation with each other is very important to win the peace through Bayanihan.

Participants of the BBL community consultation & dialogue in
Balo-i, Lanao del Norte. At left, Ryan Rosauro, MCSOPP
Coordinator.

The organized civil societies nationwide in general and in Lanao del Norte and Iligan City in particular, until today exerted all efforts and continue their campaign for the ALL-OUT-PEACE for the just and lasting for Mindanao and support the continued peace process. The formal peace talks between the GPH and MILF has ended it’s the 17 years of negotiations upon the signing of the Comprehensive Agreement of the Bangsamoro (CAB) in 2014. One of the challenges is the approval of the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) in Congress which is CAB compliant and flexible to the constitution, which purpose is to heal the wounds of history and achieve peace and progress for Mindanao and the Filipino nation as a whole.  It was believed that the BBL is the only hope for the just and lasting peace in Mindanao.

Just recently the civil society in Mindanao reacted on the slow paced and long delay of the BBL in congress. the Civil Society Organization Forum for Peace (CSO-FP), in partnership with the Mindanao CSO Plaform for Peace (MCSOPP) and Maranao People Development Center (MARADECA), have conducted series of community consultations & dialogues on the controversial Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) in Lanao del Norte including Iligan City. Originally the BBL was crafted and submitted by the Bangsamoro Transition Commission (BTC) to Malacanang, then Malacanang submitted it to both houses in congress for legislation sometime in August 2014, and it was registered as House Bill No. 4994 and Senate Bill 2804. However, both houses of congress changed the name and numbers of the Bill, it is now House Bill No. 5811 and Senate Bill 2894, called the Basic Law of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region (BLBAR). 

Provincial wide consultation & dialogue held in Iligan Cty,
attended by the tri-people, the Christians, Muslims & Lumad.
during the prayer, at left, Higaonon Datu Vergo Sangcoan of
Rogongon, at center is Ustaj Camar Alumpo of Tangkal, Lanao
del Norte & at right is Mrs. Hazel Zafra from Maigo, Lanao del
Norte.

The BBL as it may, will replace Republic Act (RA) 9054, also known as the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM).  Many of the important provisions of the BBL were deleted and found out that its quality is poorer than the existing RA 9054. Information gathered that the BLBAR diluted the BBL and if passed is not acceptable by the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and the Bangsamoro people. The BLBAR still pending in congress and peace advocates nationwide continued its consultations and dialogues with the people in Mindanao and lobbying in congress to reconsider the original form of the BBL with compromise proposal. The Framework Agreement on the Bangsamoro (FAB) and the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamro (CAB) are backbone to continue the struggle of the MILF and Bangsamoro people whoever will be the next President. With reports & photos by Malyne D. Gungob.