Calls for sobriety as Congress ends without passing BBL

Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) chief peace negotiator Mohagher Iqbal, right, with Miriam Coronel-Ferrer, chief negotiator for the government, gestures during a forum with foreign correspondents based in the Philippines at suburban Mandaluyong city, east of Manila, Philippines, Monday, April 7, 2015. (AP Photo/Bullit Marquez)

The Philippines urged for calm Wednesday as Congress went on recess without passing a law to create a Muslim homeland in the south, raising the possibility of hostilities to break out once again.

“Let me state the fact: the proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL), in whatever shape or form, did not make it out of the 16^th Congress,” chief negotiator Miriam Coronel-Ferrer said, blaming what she called “sheer indifference and chronic absenteeism” of legislators in the House of Representatives.

She said Filipinos, particularly minority Muslims, who had expected its movement forward were “grieving, hurting and once again dreading what tomorrow may bring.”

“However, the collective inaction of our legislators to complete the deliberation on the BBL did not, and will not, stop the momentum of the Bangsamoro peace process. At this low point, we call for sobriety and perseverance,” she said.

Earlier, Pangalian Balindong, deputy speaker of the House of Representatives, effectively threw in the towel on the BBL, saying the inaction of legislators had killed the peace process with the 12,000-strong Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and potentially usher in a new round of fighting in the south.

He blamed the “sheer tyranny of the majority” for shutting the door on the BBL, the final piece of the puzzle which would give legal framework to the MILF’s quest for self-rule, encapsulate a wealth sharing scheme and spell out how to “decommission” rebel firearms and reintegrate to society the combatants.

Ferrer said all the efforts they had put to make sure the bill was passed “amounted to nothing, along with millions of pesos of taxpayers money used to finance these drawn out proceedings.”

However, she stressed that the peace pact was a binding document for both the government and the MILF that remains valid.

“We need to take away the fear and distrust of the Bangsamoro for our country to become whole. We therefore urge our politicians and fellow citizens to take the time to study the history of the conflict and the peace process so as to get a better understanding of the road map and our unflinching efforts to see it through,” she said.

The MILF has blamed hard line lawmakers for the failure to pass the law, and acknowledge that a 2015 clash that left 44 Special Action Force troops that took place in a rebel territory in the Mamasapano town as the main reason for the inaction.

That clash led to the death of an international terrorist at an MILF camp, but the police attack was not properly planned and kept rebel forces in the dark in violation of the peace pact. It also broke the relationship of trust enjoyed by both parties. Marwan, the subject of the operation, had a five million dollar bounty on his head.

“There are countless exceptions, but generally Filipinos are not ready for reconciliation. Congress had just shown it. They are making it very hard. They are still in the state of denial,” an editorial at the rebel controlled publication, Luwaran.com said.

“Their thinking and what they say are still reminiscent of the bloody days of Spain in this country. They still see the Moro as sub-human, not deserving of equal treatment,” it said.

“The BBL is not the first agreement set aside by government. It seems it is already systemic,” it stressed.

It said the police commandos were the ones to blame for last year’s fiasco by deliberately following the chain of command and a ceasefire agreement requiring “prior coordination in case of movement of troops or police actions.”

“They also tagged a partner in peace, the MILF, as “enemy”, and the 6th Infantry Division of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), a sister military organization, as “unreliable”,” it said.

The editorial however acknowledged that outgoing President Benigno Aquino did all he could, and put the blame squarely on congressional leaders. It did not give any hint of how it would proceed forward, but rebel spokesmen have been consistently raising fears of a possible disillusionment of young fighters who may join other armed, terrorist groups such as the Islamic State (IS).

Philippine President Benigno Aquino hands over the draft Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) to Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) chief negotiator Mohagher Iqbal © ahead of the turnover ceremony of the law at the presidential palace in Manila September 10, 2014. (REUTERS/Romeo Ranoco/Files)

Ferrer said the government will do its utmost to ensure that “the infrastructure for implementing the peace accord are fully functional so that the next administration will be in a good position to carry forward the full implementation of the agreement.”

“The road map laid out in the (peace deal) remains viable even as we shall now be crafting adjustments in the timeline,” she said.