THE legislators don’t seem to want to call it the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) anymore. Both in the House (HB 5811) and the Senate (SB 2894), they are now calling it the Basic Law for the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region (BLBAR). But by whatever name it is going, there is cause for genuine concern. The bills proposed to replace the version submitted by the President to Congress are unacceptable. They do not honor the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro, which was a formal Philippine Government commitment. They do not provide for genuine autonomy for the Bangsamoro people. They provide less for the Bangsamoro people than the current Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) law. They do not recognize the legitimacy of the Bangsamoro struggle and the proposed law as a way of restoring justice to the Bangsamoro people.
They do not hear the leaders of the MILF stating that these versions are unacceptable. Worse, if they hear it, they ignore it.
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