I have read the draft of the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL), or House Bill No. 4994 in the House of Representatives and Senate Bill No. 2408 in the Senate. The bills were filed in both chambers of Congress in September last year after the draft was submitted by Malacañang.
The bill filed in the House was authored by pro-administration lawmakers. Among the Cebuano members of Congress, only TUCP party-list Rep. Raymond Democrito Mendoza signed as author. I don’t know if any of the Cebuano solons belatedly inserted their names as the bill’s sponsors. The Senate version didn’t have Sen. Sergio Osmeña III’s signature.
The bill was introduced in September or around four months before the Mamasapano, Maguindanao clash that killed 44 elements of the Special Action Force, 18 Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) fighters and five civilians.
The emotional reaction to the deaths was pounced upon by the formerly moribund movement calling for the resignation of President Noynoy Aquino. It also led to some lawmakers withdrawing their support for the measure and demonizing the MILF in an obvious attempt to scuttle efforts to pass the BBL and jeopardize the peace talks between the Philippine government and the Moro rebel group.
I do not pretend to be an expert in the law so I will have to rely on the opinion of the members of Congress as to the constitutionality of some of the provisions of the BBL or the entire BBL itself. My actual impression while reading the BBL draft was that it can be used as model by those pushing for a federal government setup.
The passage of the BBL would demolish the current Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM). The change of the name of the new Moro entity already gives away the BBL’s intention, which is to expand the territories currently encompassed by the ARMM and make the entity more autonomous. The entity will be known as Bangsamoro, which actually sounds like a state within the Philippine state.
In this sense, I was more interested on how much authority the “central government” is ceding to the Bangsamoro, especially in the maintenance of peace and order. I don’t see a problem with the creation of a Bangsamoro police force because it will still be under the Philippine National Police (PNP). National defense and security will still be provided mainly by the Armed Forces of the Philippines.
In sum, I expected government giving in to some of the demands of the MILF, after all that is what a peace negotiation is about. You win some, you lose some. I don’t think, however, that the draft BBL would be passed without revisions. That’s why it is a draft because it is not perfect. Its main test, of course, is constitutionality.
And here’s one point that the people should remember: the BBL is not about the MILF. It is wrong to assume that the BBL’s provisions are intended to benefit a particular group. The BBL is for the Bangsamoro people, or those who want to be part of a Bangsamoro entity. In a way, it is a gift of the Philippine state to the Moro people.
Mohagher Iqbal, the head of the MILF panel to the peace talks, mentioned this during the Senate hearing on the Mamasapano clash. Once the Bangsamoro entity is established, the MILF will transform itself into a political party. In a way, it will have the inside track in the elections that will follow, but other Muslim groups can form their own political parties to steal the initiative from the MILF.
When asked what MILF will do if it loses in the elections, Iqbal said, “e, di talo.” But that does not mean MILF would be able to take up arms again because by then its armed force will already be disbanded. - Bong O. Wenceslao / SunStar
Showing posts with label Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL). Show all posts
Showing posts with label Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL). Show all posts
Monday, March 2, 2015
Thursday, February 26, 2015
EDSA 29: A day of indignation
The 29th anniversary of the bloodless people power revolution became a day of indignation yesterday as multi-sectoral groups in the thousands marched on the very pavement where democracy was won – this time demanding the resignation of President Aquino, the son of democracy icon, the late President Corazon Aquino.
Angry protesters held President Aquino responsible for the death of 44 commandos of the Special Action Force in the day-long clash exactly a month ago yesterday and demanded that he step down for “betraying the nation.”
Leading the march was the youth group Anakbayan, which unfurled streamers on the People Power Monument saying “Game Over, Noynoy” and displayed images of blood-stained yellow ribbons, symbol of the 1986 uprising that raised his mother to power.
“Aquino clearly betrayed the nation. To please the United States, he directed the Mamasapano offensive which led to the death of at least 69 people. He allowed Filipinos to be used as cannon-fodder in the US war,” Anakbayan national chairperson Vencer Crisostomo said.
Crisostomo assailed the “desperate attempts to cover-up and whitewash Aquino’s criminal accountability in the Mamasapano offensive.”
“Aquino’s web of lies can no longer be untangled. His time is up. In the language that the president would better understand: it is game over, Noynoy. Time to step down,” he added.
Crisostomo called on youth groups to work for a “new people power” to force Aquino to resign.
“Aquino is delirious if he still believes People Power is about him and his family. People power is the Filipino people’s collective weapon against injustice, oppression and lies. We call on students to walkout and work to encircle the Palace and force Aquino to resign,” Crisostomo added.
He said a “transition council” could take over to pave the way for meaningful reforms and fair elections.
“We cannot allow more people to die under Aquino’s misrule. We cannot let impunity and injustices continue. Let us launch big protests, encircle Malacañang and wage people power,” Crisostomo dared.
He called on youth and students to stage a walkout and continue to express their displeasure by marching to Malacañang on February 27.
PREPARE DEFENSE
Even campus scribes urged Aquino to quit.
Thousands of campus journalists belonging to the College Editors Guild of the Philippines (CEGP) called on Aquino to admit his liability in the botched Mamasapano operation.
The campus journalists massed at the EDSA Shrine and called for Aquino to quit and prepare for his defense defense when he is asked to explain his indispensable collaboration in the conduct of Operation Exodus, the SAF operation to arrest or kill Malaysian bomber Zulkifli bin Hir alias Marwan and his Filipino understudy Basit Usman, who was wounded in the engagement.
CEGP national president Marc Lino Abila said it is also an irony that the day which brought Aquino’s mother to power is also the day 29 years later that the people expressed their wrath against her own son
“In retrospect, the spirit of EDSA centers on the mass movement, the people, and not Cory Aquino. Thus, the People Power anniversary is the right venue to manifest the people’s disgust over the deceptive, inefficient and vicious Aquino administration,” Abila said.
“The recent bloodbath at Mamasapano illustrates the incapacity of the current President to offer and win a just and lasting peace. It also manifests Aquino puppetry to US dictates,” Abila added.
CORRUPTION STILL PRESENT
Groups from Southern Tagalog region with the same resignation call also trooped to Manila to stage their own protest at the Mabuhay Rotunda.
But before proceeding to the Rotunda, Kapayapaan-Southern Tagalog group formed a human chain in Baclaran church early morning calling for Aquino’s accountability and the truth behind the deadly Mamasapano clash.
“Almost 30 years after EDSA 1, history is repeating itself where people are once again uprising for truth and accountability, this time over Noynoy Aquino’s gross incompetence and rabid subservience to his US masters. After selling-out our sovereignty with the Visiting Forces Agreement and the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement, sacrificing the lives of Filipinos, both police and civilians is not only a grave insult to the families of the victims but also a mockery of justice,” Rev. Gil Sediarin, Kapayapaan spokesman said.
Flor Chan, spokesperson of the Southern Tagalog Resign Movement for Aquino (ST Remove Aquino) said the Aquino administration is full of issues such as graft and corruption in the pork barrel and Disbursement Acceleration Program (DAP) scam. This aside from escalating human rights abuses and the policies that push more Filipinos into poverty and suffering.
After two people power uprising, it is about time that we step-up again and fulfill the failed and long-overdue promises of EDSA ,” Chan emphasized.
OWN UP
But the Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP), the country’s largest labor group did not support resignation calls for Aquino but challenged the beleaguered president to be man enough to accept and take command responsibility over the unfortunate Mamasapano massacre.
“The nation expects the president to stand by the PNP-SAF. The PNP-SAF deserves nothing less. The people expect him to lead from the front and receive our quiet gratitude in good times and be accountable when things go wrong. We urge Mr. Aquino to take responsibility because in a constitutional democracy, the buck stops with the President. And in our culture, he is the “Father of our Nation. It comes with the territory. The people want him to lead from the front and he must take the lead in providing justice to our fallen 44,” TUCP-Nagkaisa spokesperson Alan Tanjusay said.
Tanjusay said that Aquino should exact accountability from the MILF who are also Filipinos and who are not above the country’s laws.
“We need the President to publicly require and demand the MILF leadership to surrender the MILF fighters who participated in the killings and surrender suspected terrorist Basit Abdul Usman to the fold of the law,’’ Tanjusay said.
TRAFFIC OUTRAGE
While the Palace declared a holiday for schools, it was a normal working day and motorists and commuters were fuming mad at the terrible traffic that clogged streets starting early morning after the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) closed the northbound stretch of EDSA from Shaw Blvd. to Santolan midnight Tuesday. Aside from this, perpendicular roads were also closed to traffic.
The closure caught drivers, motorists and commuters were surprise. Workers were seen walking to their destinations when traffic stalled for hours.
Three six-by-six trucks were deployed to ferry those stranded but were not much of help.
As of press time yesterday, EDSA was still a huge parking lot and traffic was not moving along P. Tuazon, Quezon Avenue, Araneta Avenue, Dimasalang, and Aurora Boulevard.
The public took to MMDA’s official page on Facebook over the agency’s traffic management plan.
Some said the government should have declared Wednesday a holiday because of the heavy traffic.
“Please help us understand why it’s not a holiday. All I can think of is the small group in the celebration while the rest of the Metro are unproductively stuck in traffic. If it’s a holiday, more can participate at the commemoration venue or watch it at home on TV,” said Kat Turingan.
Joseph Ramirez, commented, “Today is a school holiday but it is difficult for people working to commute going to work. Lifting the number coding today would have helped a lot of people in travelling to and from work.”
Others urged the MMDA to be more considerate of employees working the night shift and advise the public ahead of time. - by Chito A. Chavez (With reports from Jenny F. Manongdo, Samuel P. Medenilla and Anna Liza Villas Alavaren)/ Manila Bulletin
Angry protesters held President Aquino responsible for the death of 44 commandos of the Special Action Force in the day-long clash exactly a month ago yesterday and demanded that he step down for “betraying the nation.”
Leading the march was the youth group Anakbayan, which unfurled streamers on the People Power Monument saying “Game Over, Noynoy” and displayed images of blood-stained yellow ribbons, symbol of the 1986 uprising that raised his mother to power.
“Aquino clearly betrayed the nation. To please the United States, he directed the Mamasapano offensive which led to the death of at least 69 people. He allowed Filipinos to be used as cannon-fodder in the US war,” Anakbayan national chairperson Vencer Crisostomo said.
Crisostomo assailed the “desperate attempts to cover-up and whitewash Aquino’s criminal accountability in the Mamasapano offensive.”
“Aquino’s web of lies can no longer be untangled. His time is up. In the language that the president would better understand: it is game over, Noynoy. Time to step down,” he added.
Crisostomo called on youth groups to work for a “new people power” to force Aquino to resign.
“Aquino is delirious if he still believes People Power is about him and his family. People power is the Filipino people’s collective weapon against injustice, oppression and lies. We call on students to walkout and work to encircle the Palace and force Aquino to resign,” Crisostomo added.
He said a “transition council” could take over to pave the way for meaningful reforms and fair elections.
“We cannot allow more people to die under Aquino’s misrule. We cannot let impunity and injustices continue. Let us launch big protests, encircle Malacañang and wage people power,” Crisostomo dared.
He called on youth and students to stage a walkout and continue to express their displeasure by marching to Malacañang on February 27.
PREPARE DEFENSE
Even campus scribes urged Aquino to quit.
Thousands of campus journalists belonging to the College Editors Guild of the Philippines (CEGP) called on Aquino to admit his liability in the botched Mamasapano operation.
The campus journalists massed at the EDSA Shrine and called for Aquino to quit and prepare for his defense defense when he is asked to explain his indispensable collaboration in the conduct of Operation Exodus, the SAF operation to arrest or kill Malaysian bomber Zulkifli bin Hir alias Marwan and his Filipino understudy Basit Usman, who was wounded in the engagement.
CEGP national president Marc Lino Abila said it is also an irony that the day which brought Aquino’s mother to power is also the day 29 years later that the people expressed their wrath against her own son
“In retrospect, the spirit of EDSA centers on the mass movement, the people, and not Cory Aquino. Thus, the People Power anniversary is the right venue to manifest the people’s disgust over the deceptive, inefficient and vicious Aquino administration,” Abila said.
“The recent bloodbath at Mamasapano illustrates the incapacity of the current President to offer and win a just and lasting peace. It also manifests Aquino puppetry to US dictates,” Abila added.
CORRUPTION STILL PRESENT
Groups from Southern Tagalog region with the same resignation call also trooped to Manila to stage their own protest at the Mabuhay Rotunda.
But before proceeding to the Rotunda, Kapayapaan-Southern Tagalog group formed a human chain in Baclaran church early morning calling for Aquino’s accountability and the truth behind the deadly Mamasapano clash.
“Almost 30 years after EDSA 1, history is repeating itself where people are once again uprising for truth and accountability, this time over Noynoy Aquino’s gross incompetence and rabid subservience to his US masters. After selling-out our sovereignty with the Visiting Forces Agreement and the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement, sacrificing the lives of Filipinos, both police and civilians is not only a grave insult to the families of the victims but also a mockery of justice,” Rev. Gil Sediarin, Kapayapaan spokesman said.
Flor Chan, spokesperson of the Southern Tagalog Resign Movement for Aquino (ST Remove Aquino) said the Aquino administration is full of issues such as graft and corruption in the pork barrel and Disbursement Acceleration Program (DAP) scam. This aside from escalating human rights abuses and the policies that push more Filipinos into poverty and suffering.
After two people power uprising, it is about time that we step-up again and fulfill the failed and long-overdue promises of EDSA ,” Chan emphasized.
OWN UP
But the Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP), the country’s largest labor group did not support resignation calls for Aquino but challenged the beleaguered president to be man enough to accept and take command responsibility over the unfortunate Mamasapano massacre.
“The nation expects the president to stand by the PNP-SAF. The PNP-SAF deserves nothing less. The people expect him to lead from the front and receive our quiet gratitude in good times and be accountable when things go wrong. We urge Mr. Aquino to take responsibility because in a constitutional democracy, the buck stops with the President. And in our culture, he is the “Father of our Nation. It comes with the territory. The people want him to lead from the front and he must take the lead in providing justice to our fallen 44,” TUCP-Nagkaisa spokesperson Alan Tanjusay said.
Tanjusay said that Aquino should exact accountability from the MILF who are also Filipinos and who are not above the country’s laws.
“We need the President to publicly require and demand the MILF leadership to surrender the MILF fighters who participated in the killings and surrender suspected terrorist Basit Abdul Usman to the fold of the law,’’ Tanjusay said.
TRAFFIC OUTRAGE
While the Palace declared a holiday for schools, it was a normal working day and motorists and commuters were fuming mad at the terrible traffic that clogged streets starting early morning after the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) closed the northbound stretch of EDSA from Shaw Blvd. to Santolan midnight Tuesday. Aside from this, perpendicular roads were also closed to traffic.
The closure caught drivers, motorists and commuters were surprise. Workers were seen walking to their destinations when traffic stalled for hours.
Three six-by-six trucks were deployed to ferry those stranded but were not much of help.
As of press time yesterday, EDSA was still a huge parking lot and traffic was not moving along P. Tuazon, Quezon Avenue, Araneta Avenue, Dimasalang, and Aurora Boulevard.
The public took to MMDA’s official page on Facebook over the agency’s traffic management plan.
Some said the government should have declared Wednesday a holiday because of the heavy traffic.
“Please help us understand why it’s not a holiday. All I can think of is the small group in the celebration while the rest of the Metro are unproductively stuck in traffic. If it’s a holiday, more can participate at the commemoration venue or watch it at home on TV,” said Kat Turingan.
Joseph Ramirez, commented, “Today is a school holiday but it is difficult for people working to commute going to work. Lifting the number coding today would have helped a lot of people in travelling to and from work.”
Others urged the MMDA to be more considerate of employees working the night shift and advise the public ahead of time. - by Chito A. Chavez (With reports from Jenny F. Manongdo, Samuel P. Medenilla and Anna Liza Villas Alavaren)/ Manila Bulletin
Aquino hits opponents of proposed Bangsa law
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Wednesday, February 25, 2015
TUCP bucks calls for Aquino ouster
MANILA, Philippines — Labor group Trade Union Congress of the Philippines—Nagkaisa (TUCP-Nagkaisa) on Wednesday said it will not join or support calls or moves to oust President Benigno Aquino III from office.
Several groups have been calling for resignation of the president over the Mamasapano incident, which resulted in the deaths of 44 police commandos tasked to capture high-profile terrorists Zulkifli bin Hir alias Marwan and his Filipino accomplice, Basit Usman.
TUCP-Nagkaisa, however, challenged the chief executive to accept and take command responsibility over the January 25 operations in Maguindanao.
"The nation expects the President to stand by the PNP-SAF (Philippine National Police-Special Action Force). The PNP-SAF deserve nothing less. The people expect him to lead from the front and receive our quiet gratitude in good times and be accountable when things go wrong," the group's spokesperson, Alan Tanjusay, said.
He said it is high time for Aquino to condemn the execution-style killing of the policemen.
"We need the President to exact accountability from the MILF (Moro Islamic Liberation Front) who are also Filipinos and who are not above our laws. We need the president to publicly require and demand the MILF leadership to surrender the MILF fighters who participated in the killings and handover suspected terrorist Basit Abdul Usman to the fold of the law," Tanjusay said.
Tanjusay also defended the President from criticisms, saying that political opportunists and perennial trouble makers are ganging up on him over the Mamasapano incident.
"Many of them are crying genuine tears and some are crying crocodile ones. We must be discerning. In the meantime, we must expect leadership from the top with the president leading from the front," he added.
Aquino should remain focused and find substantial solutions to concerns of the people such as the looming power crisis and mass transport problems, Tanjusay said. - By Dennis Carcamo (philstar.com)
Several groups have been calling for resignation of the president over the Mamasapano incident, which resulted in the deaths of 44 police commandos tasked to capture high-profile terrorists Zulkifli bin Hir alias Marwan and his Filipino accomplice, Basit Usman.
TUCP-Nagkaisa, however, challenged the chief executive to accept and take command responsibility over the January 25 operations in Maguindanao.
"The nation expects the President to stand by the PNP-SAF (Philippine National Police-Special Action Force). The PNP-SAF deserve nothing less. The people expect him to lead from the front and receive our quiet gratitude in good times and be accountable when things go wrong," the group's spokesperson, Alan Tanjusay, said.
He said it is high time for Aquino to condemn the execution-style killing of the policemen.
"We need the President to exact accountability from the MILF (Moro Islamic Liberation Front) who are also Filipinos and who are not above our laws. We need the president to publicly require and demand the MILF leadership to surrender the MILF fighters who participated in the killings and handover suspected terrorist Basit Abdul Usman to the fold of the law," Tanjusay said.
Tanjusay also defended the President from criticisms, saying that political opportunists and perennial trouble makers are ganging up on him over the Mamasapano incident.
"Many of them are crying genuine tears and some are crying crocodile ones. We must be discerning. In the meantime, we must expect leadership from the top with the president leading from the front," he added.
Aquino should remain focused and find substantial solutions to concerns of the people such as the looming power crisis and mass transport problems, Tanjusay said. - By Dennis Carcamo (philstar.com)
Tuesday, February 24, 2015
Group will not call for PNoy’s ouster, but
Labor group Trade Union Congress of the Philippines-Nagkaisa (TUCP-Nagkaisa) will not join or support any move to oust President Benigno Aquino, III from office but wants him to accept command responsibility over the Mamasapano incident.
“We urge Mr. Aquino to take responsibility because in a constitutional democracy, the buck stops with the President. The people want him to lead from the front and he must take the lead in providing justice to our fallen 44,” said TUCP-Nagkaisa spokesperson Alan Tanjusay.
Tanjusay said the president should also “exact accountability from the MILF”.
“We need the President to publicly require and demand the MILF leadership to surrender the MILF fighters who participated in the killings and handover suspected terrorist Basit Abdul Usman to the fold of the law,” Tanjusay said. - Davao Today
“We urge Mr. Aquino to take responsibility because in a constitutional democracy, the buck stops with the President. The people want him to lead from the front and he must take the lead in providing justice to our fallen 44,” said TUCP-Nagkaisa spokesperson Alan Tanjusay.
Tanjusay said the president should also “exact accountability from the MILF”.
“We need the President to publicly require and demand the MILF leadership to surrender the MILF fighters who participated in the killings and handover suspected terrorist Basit Abdul Usman to the fold of the law,” Tanjusay said. - Davao Today
Thursday, February 12, 2015
Labor, advocacy groups ramp up campaign vs BBL
THE country’s largest confederation of labor associations and an advocacy group composed of nine major organizations nationwide have called on President Benigno Aquino 3rd to stand up and come out in defense of the grieving families of the 44 Special Action Force (SAF) commandos who were brutally killed by joint forces of the Moro Islamic Liberation (MILF) and the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) in Mamasapano, Maguindanao, on January 25.
The Trade Union Congress of the Philippines-Nagkaisa (TUCP-Nagkaisa), through its spokesman Alan Tanjusay, on Thursday challenged Aquino to seek from Congress suspension of deliberations on the controversial Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) in deference to the shout for truth and justice by a mourning nation.
The BBL, if enacted into law, would pave the way for the creation of a Bangsamoro autonomous region,
“What we expected the President should have done is to directly respond to the growing but unaddressed deep-seated clamor for justice by suspending now the BBL deliberations both in the Senate and in the House of Representatives,” Tanjusay said.
The suspension of deliberations on the BBL, he added, should stay until the MILF has shown its sincerity regarding the peace process by surrendering Addul Basit Usman and other MILF commanders and Islamic fighters involved in the Mamasapano incident.
The MILF, Tanjusay said, should also return all government-owned firearms, cellphones and other personal belongings of the fallen commandos, and destroy their munition factory.
Usman is the right hand man of expert bomb maker Zulkifli bin Hir, alias Marwan, who was killed by the SAF assault team during the January 25 operation.
He was with Marwan at the time but was able to escape.
The Senate Committee on Local Government, headed by Sen. Ferdinand Marcos Jr., has suspended its deliberations on provisions of the BBL, but its counterpart at the House of Representatives is yet to follow suit.
The TUCP also urged the MILF to join the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the Philippine National Police (PNP) in crushing the BIFF, a supposedly breakaway group of the MILF.
“Genuine expression of sympathies and condolences about the incident is accompanied by overt acts of good faith. If they desire the Filipino people to continue to trust that they (MILF leaders) deserve to lead the Bangsamoro aspiration for an autonomous region, then they should show sincerity first by bringing BIFF militants as quickly as possible to the fold of justice,” Tanjusay said.
The Ang Katipunan ng mga Samahang Maharlika (Ang KaSaMa Inc.) further prodded Aquino to junk the BBL and arrest Jemaah Islamiya terror cell leader Usman to prove that the Philippine government is not negotiating with terrorists.
The Ang KaSaMa Inc. is an advocacy group of nine major organizations from Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao that is lobbying against passage of the BBL.
“The BBL has nothing to do with the peace and order situation in Mindanao because the Christians and Muslims in the region are long-time friends. It is only the separatist and terror groups that are causing trouble,” its national coordinator Deo Palma said in an interview.
“We believe that the BBL will not succeed because the (MILF) is not sincere in the peace process,” Palma added.
The MILF that is talking peace with the government, according to him, is the same MILF that has been coddling Marwan and Usman since 2001, according to Palma, who explained that this information came from one of his close friends working with the Military Intelligence Group based in Mindanao.
Palma said Marwan and Usman cannot continue with their recruitment activities in Mindanao without the MILF’s support.
He added that the two terrorists have used various MILF camps in Maguindanao, Jolo (Sulu), Lanao del Sur and Lanao del Norte to train their recruits in bomb-making.
The MILF has also intensified its recruitment of young blood as second liners for their ideological fight without the knowledge of the government while the peace negotiations are ongoing, Palma said.
His sources also revealed that the high-caliber firearms and other personal belongings taken from the 44 commandos “will not be surrendered because the BIFF and MILF have already divided the loot among themselves.”
Meanwhile, Johnny Siao, the Moro National Liberation Front chief of the National Border Command, said most of his contacts at the MILF camp have told him that they will not surrender their firearms.
“They (MILF) believe in the peace agreement with the Philippine government but they will not follow orders for them to surrender their firearms,” Siao added.
He said the problem with the MILF hierarchy is that they have no control over their field commanders. - by JERRY N. ADLAW AND WILLIAM B. DEPASUPIL / Manila Times
The Trade Union Congress of the Philippines-Nagkaisa (TUCP-Nagkaisa), through its spokesman Alan Tanjusay, on Thursday challenged Aquino to seek from Congress suspension of deliberations on the controversial Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) in deference to the shout for truth and justice by a mourning nation.
The BBL, if enacted into law, would pave the way for the creation of a Bangsamoro autonomous region,
“What we expected the President should have done is to directly respond to the growing but unaddressed deep-seated clamor for justice by suspending now the BBL deliberations both in the Senate and in the House of Representatives,” Tanjusay said.
The suspension of deliberations on the BBL, he added, should stay until the MILF has shown its sincerity regarding the peace process by surrendering Addul Basit Usman and other MILF commanders and Islamic fighters involved in the Mamasapano incident.
The MILF, Tanjusay said, should also return all government-owned firearms, cellphones and other personal belongings of the fallen commandos, and destroy their munition factory.
Usman is the right hand man of expert bomb maker Zulkifli bin Hir, alias Marwan, who was killed by the SAF assault team during the January 25 operation.
He was with Marwan at the time but was able to escape.
The Senate Committee on Local Government, headed by Sen. Ferdinand Marcos Jr., has suspended its deliberations on provisions of the BBL, but its counterpart at the House of Representatives is yet to follow suit.
The TUCP also urged the MILF to join the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the Philippine National Police (PNP) in crushing the BIFF, a supposedly breakaway group of the MILF.
“Genuine expression of sympathies and condolences about the incident is accompanied by overt acts of good faith. If they desire the Filipino people to continue to trust that they (MILF leaders) deserve to lead the Bangsamoro aspiration for an autonomous region, then they should show sincerity first by bringing BIFF militants as quickly as possible to the fold of justice,” Tanjusay said.
The Ang Katipunan ng mga Samahang Maharlika (Ang KaSaMa Inc.) further prodded Aquino to junk the BBL and arrest Jemaah Islamiya terror cell leader Usman to prove that the Philippine government is not negotiating with terrorists.
The Ang KaSaMa Inc. is an advocacy group of nine major organizations from Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao that is lobbying against passage of the BBL.
“The BBL has nothing to do with the peace and order situation in Mindanao because the Christians and Muslims in the region are long-time friends. It is only the separatist and terror groups that are causing trouble,” its national coordinator Deo Palma said in an interview.
“We believe that the BBL will not succeed because the (MILF) is not sincere in the peace process,” Palma added.
The MILF that is talking peace with the government, according to him, is the same MILF that has been coddling Marwan and Usman since 2001, according to Palma, who explained that this information came from one of his close friends working with the Military Intelligence Group based in Mindanao.
Palma said Marwan and Usman cannot continue with their recruitment activities in Mindanao without the MILF’s support.
He added that the two terrorists have used various MILF camps in Maguindanao, Jolo (Sulu), Lanao del Sur and Lanao del Norte to train their recruits in bomb-making.
The MILF has also intensified its recruitment of young blood as second liners for their ideological fight without the knowledge of the government while the peace negotiations are ongoing, Palma said.
His sources also revealed that the high-caliber firearms and other personal belongings taken from the 44 commandos “will not be surrendered because the BIFF and MILF have already divided the loot among themselves.”
Meanwhile, Johnny Siao, the Moro National Liberation Front chief of the National Border Command, said most of his contacts at the MILF camp have told him that they will not surrender their firearms.
“They (MILF) believe in the peace agreement with the Philippine government but they will not follow orders for them to surrender their firearms,” Siao added.
He said the problem with the MILF hierarchy is that they have no control over their field commanders. - by JERRY N. ADLAW AND WILLIAM B. DEPASUPIL / Manila Times
Sunday, February 8, 2015
Palace urges lawmakers to resume BBL hearings
MANILA, Philippines - Malacañang yesterday appealed to lawmakers to continue their deliberations on the proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law and give peace a chance in Mindanao.
The appeal was made after Congress suspended hearings on the BBL in the wake of public outrage over the killing of the 44 Special Action Force policemen by Muslim rebels in Mamasapano, Maguindanao last month.
“Certainly, the Mamasapano incident has created an effect on the deliberations to the Bangsamoro Basic Law. But, as the President said...we cannot lose focus on our fight for peace,” presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda said over radio dzRB.
Lacierda said President Aquino, in a televised national address on the Mamasapano incident last Friday, called on the people to remain focused on the government’s primary goal of attaining a widespread and lasting peace.
“This is what our Special Action Force has fought for in Mamasapano. This is what every decent Filipino who wishes to leave behind a better future for coming generations continues to fight for,” Lacierda said.
He said it was important that the proposed BBL was discussed because “this is our chance for peace in an area that has been marked by unrest.”
“So let us talk about the Bangsamoro Basic Law. Mamasapano already happened; accountability is being called for, but over and above accountability, we have to move forward further. We are now moving towards looking for accountability in what happened in Mamasapano. But also, there is a greater need for us to achieve lasting peace in Mindanao,” Lacierda said.
“So our plea to all our legislators: I know that all of us...long for peace. This is our time to find a better way...there’s a better chance for us for peace. The peace agreement has been signed. The Bangsamoro Basic Law is in your hands. Deliberate and let’s find a way to peace,” he said.
Asked if the President would talk to his allies in Congress about the proposed BBL, Lacierda said he was not aware of any plans.
But he said the sacrifices of the fallen SAF operatives would be wasted if there would be no peace in Mindanao.
Lacierda noted Aquino emphasized in his speech the fight for peace.
“So I am certain that the legislators know in their hearts that there’s a need for us to come up with an agreement and a law that would create a viable institution in Mindanao that can pave the way for peace and development, further development in Mindanao,” Lacierda said, quoting the President.
From the start, Lacierda said the President had been concerned about those who were against peace.
“From the start, there were always people who have been looking at opportunities to sow bigotry and panic and will try to take advantage of any situation. Again, that’s why there is a stress and emphasis from the President to remain focused on achieving peace in the region. So maybe there are people trying to stop the passage of the BBL, for one reason or another, but I think it is important for us to really focus on making sure that the SAF commandos did not die in vain,” he said.
Lacierda said the committee of Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago was discussing the constitutionality of the BBL while the panel of Sen. Ferdinand Marcos Jr. was tackling other provisions.
“But, again, we are there. The peace panel is there; the executive branch is there; they presented the Bangsamoro Basic Law. And whatever concerns that the legislators may have, the executive branch...the peace panel(s)...are more than willing to discuss the provisions of the Bangsamoro Basic Law. Are there amendments? That would be discussed amongst them. That would be discussed between the peace panels and the legislators,” Lacierda said.
The Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP) said President Aquino should make a stronger stand by suspending the BBL.
“What we expected the President should have done is to directly respond to the growing but unaddressed deep-seated clamor for justice by suspending now the BBL deliberations both in the Senate and in the House of Representatives,” TUCP spokesman Alan Tanjusay said.
He said the BBL should not push through until the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) surrenders all those involved in the Mamasapano incident.
Supporters, however, called on Congress and other stakeholders to support the passage of the BBL and the peace process in Mindanao.
Hundreds of peace activists on Friday walked barefoot for one hour around the 32-hectare compound of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) in Cotabato City to drumbeat their desire for a peaceful resolution of the Mamasapano incident. – By Aurea Calica (The Philippine Star) With John Unson, Sheila Crisostomo
Labor puts the squeeze on Aquino
A big labor group has urged President Aquino to suspend the Bangsamoro Basic Law and put the Moro Islamic Liberation Front leadership to task in deference to the mourning nationwide and the search for truth and justice following the massacre of 44 policemen in Mindanao on Jan. 25.
“What we expected the President should have done is to directly respond to the growing clamor for justice by suspending now the deliberations on the proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law both in the Senate and in the House of Representatives,” said Alan Tanjusay, spokesman of the Trade Union Congress of the Philippine-Nagkaisa.
The MILF leadership, TUCP said, should also act on three things: (1) surrender to Philippine authorities Basit Usman including those MILF commanders and mujahideens involved in the killing, (2) return all government-owned firearms, cellphones and personal effects belonging to fallen policemen, and (3) destroy their munition factories for 50-caliber bullets.
Senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr, chair of the Senate Committee on Local Government, suspended the deliberations and discussions on the provisions of BBL.
The ad hoc committee in the House of Representatives who have made extensive public hearings and regional consultations on the BBL has not.
The TUCP said that these must be done within the last 16 months of his tenure and the pronouncement must come from Aquino himself before the Filipino people totally loses their faith in him.
The TUCP also urges the MILF to join the government’s Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) in crushing the MILF breakaway group BIFF.
“Genuine expression of sympathies and condolences about the incident is accompanied by overt acts of good faith. If they desire the Filipino people continue to trust they (MILF leaders) deserve to lead the Bangsamoro aspiration for an autonomous region, then they should show sincerity first by bringing BIFF militants as quickly as possible to the fold of justice,” added Tanjusay.
The TUCP also supports the creation of an independent fact-finding truth commission that will determine what really happened, determine accountabilities, and make policy and operational responses and recommendations to the military and police chain of command, operations, and in performing law enforcement functions.
The TUCP is lobbying for social protection of 33,000 public service personnel affected by the transition upon dissolution of the ARMM and for the adoption of the Philippine Labor Code into the BBL. - By Vito Barcelo / Manila Standard Today
“What we expected the President should have done is to directly respond to the growing clamor for justice by suspending now the deliberations on the proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law both in the Senate and in the House of Representatives,” said Alan Tanjusay, spokesman of the Trade Union Congress of the Philippine-Nagkaisa.
The MILF leadership, TUCP said, should also act on three things: (1) surrender to Philippine authorities Basit Usman including those MILF commanders and mujahideens involved in the killing, (2) return all government-owned firearms, cellphones and personal effects belonging to fallen policemen, and (3) destroy their munition factories for 50-caliber bullets.
Senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr, chair of the Senate Committee on Local Government, suspended the deliberations and discussions on the provisions of BBL.
The ad hoc committee in the House of Representatives who have made extensive public hearings and regional consultations on the BBL has not.
The TUCP said that these must be done within the last 16 months of his tenure and the pronouncement must come from Aquino himself before the Filipino people totally loses their faith in him.
The TUCP also urges the MILF to join the government’s Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) in crushing the MILF breakaway group BIFF.
“Genuine expression of sympathies and condolences about the incident is accompanied by overt acts of good faith. If they desire the Filipino people continue to trust they (MILF leaders) deserve to lead the Bangsamoro aspiration for an autonomous region, then they should show sincerity first by bringing BIFF militants as quickly as possible to the fold of justice,” added Tanjusay.
The TUCP also supports the creation of an independent fact-finding truth commission that will determine what really happened, determine accountabilities, and make policy and operational responses and recommendations to the military and police chain of command, operations, and in performing law enforcement functions.
The TUCP is lobbying for social protection of 33,000 public service personnel affected by the transition upon dissolution of the ARMM and for the adoption of the Philippine Labor Code into the BBL. - By Vito Barcelo / Manila Standard Today
Malacañang: Give BBL a chance
MANILA, Philippines–Malacañang on Sunday urged lawmakers to give the proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) a chance as this remains the most viable instrument to attain lasting peace in Mindanao.
Presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda also appealed to the public to continue trusting President Aquino and the government reforms he had tried to institute following public outrage over the Mamasapano debacle that killed over 60 police commandos, Moro guerillas and civilians.
While Malaysian terrorist Zulkifli bin Hir, alias “Marwan,” was neutralized in the operation, the police action nearly imperiled the peace agreement between the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation front (MILF).
“Certainly, the Mamasapano incident has… an effect on the deliberations on the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL). But, as the President said, we cannot lose focus on our fight for peace,” Lacierda said.
The peace agreement with the MILF is one of the cornerstones of the Aquino administration. The President has certified the BBL as one of his priority measures in Congress.
Some lawmakers have expressed apprehension over its passage as they blamed the MILF for the deaths of the 44 Special Action Force (SAF) commandos who took part in the operation.
But as relieved SAF commander Director Getulio Napenas himself admitted, he bypassed the cease-fire mechanisms of the government and the MILF because he did not trust the military and the Moro group.
“Hopefully, we can see the passage of BBL being mindful of what has happened. If you feel that there is some need to deliberate and some need to improve BBL, let us deliberate, but let’s not forestall the passage of an instrument that could contribute to lasting peace in Mindanao,” Lacierda said, addressing the lawmakers.
Passing the draft bill into law would also ensure that the SAF commandos did not die in vain, Lacierda said.
The MILF said 18 of their fighters and five civilians living in the community where the encounter took place were killed.
IP support
In Davao City, a group pushing for the inclusion of the indigenous people’s rights in the proposed BBL appealed to Congress not to suspend or abort its passage into law.
The Mindanao People Peace Movement (MPPM) said “sobriety and reason” should prevail because war will never be the solution to the problem that once again threatens the fragile peace in Mindanao.
“While the BBL is not without its flaws, we don’t believe that suspending or aborting the process is the wise thing to do,” said Rodelio Ambangan, MPPM chair and Jane Pesons, MPPM secretary general, in a statement.
“We should not make the BBL the sacrificial lamb as a consequence of the violence in Mamasapano,” Pesons said.
MPPM said the path of peace should be chosen in demanding justice for those who have fallen in the Mamasapano encounter.
“Ordinary people and communities have placed their hopes on this peace process especially now that the BBL is undergoing deliberations in both houses of Congress,” the statement said.
The group demanded an independent inquiry to look into the events surrounding the incident and determine accountability.
“We appeal to some politicians, public figures and the warmongers to refrain from issuing provocative statements instigating war,” MPPM said.
BBL suspension
The Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP), meanwhile, urged President Aquino to suspend the BBL and put the MILF leadership to task for the Mamasapano debacle.
Alan Tanjusay, TUCP spokesman, said the President should have suspended the BBL deliberations both in the Senate and in the House of Representatives until the MILF surrenders to Philippine authorities Abdul Basit Usman and the MILF commanders involved in the killing of the 44 police commandos.–Nikko Dizon with additional reports from Tina Santos, Germelina Lacorte and Jeoffrey Maitem, Inquirer Mindanao
Presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda also appealed to the public to continue trusting President Aquino and the government reforms he had tried to institute following public outrage over the Mamasapano debacle that killed over 60 police commandos, Moro guerillas and civilians.
While Malaysian terrorist Zulkifli bin Hir, alias “Marwan,” was neutralized in the operation, the police action nearly imperiled the peace agreement between the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation front (MILF).
“Certainly, the Mamasapano incident has… an effect on the deliberations on the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL). But, as the President said, we cannot lose focus on our fight for peace,” Lacierda said.
The peace agreement with the MILF is one of the cornerstones of the Aquino administration. The President has certified the BBL as one of his priority measures in Congress.
Some lawmakers have expressed apprehension over its passage as they blamed the MILF for the deaths of the 44 Special Action Force (SAF) commandos who took part in the operation.
But as relieved SAF commander Director Getulio Napenas himself admitted, he bypassed the cease-fire mechanisms of the government and the MILF because he did not trust the military and the Moro group.
“Hopefully, we can see the passage of BBL being mindful of what has happened. If you feel that there is some need to deliberate and some need to improve BBL, let us deliberate, but let’s not forestall the passage of an instrument that could contribute to lasting peace in Mindanao,” Lacierda said, addressing the lawmakers.
Passing the draft bill into law would also ensure that the SAF commandos did not die in vain, Lacierda said.
The MILF said 18 of their fighters and five civilians living in the community where the encounter took place were killed.
IP support
In Davao City, a group pushing for the inclusion of the indigenous people’s rights in the proposed BBL appealed to Congress not to suspend or abort its passage into law.
The Mindanao People Peace Movement (MPPM) said “sobriety and reason” should prevail because war will never be the solution to the problem that once again threatens the fragile peace in Mindanao.
“While the BBL is not without its flaws, we don’t believe that suspending or aborting the process is the wise thing to do,” said Rodelio Ambangan, MPPM chair and Jane Pesons, MPPM secretary general, in a statement.
“We should not make the BBL the sacrificial lamb as a consequence of the violence in Mamasapano,” Pesons said.
MPPM said the path of peace should be chosen in demanding justice for those who have fallen in the Mamasapano encounter.
“Ordinary people and communities have placed their hopes on this peace process especially now that the BBL is undergoing deliberations in both houses of Congress,” the statement said.
The group demanded an independent inquiry to look into the events surrounding the incident and determine accountability.
“We appeal to some politicians, public figures and the warmongers to refrain from issuing provocative statements instigating war,” MPPM said.
BBL suspension
The Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP), meanwhile, urged President Aquino to suspend the BBL and put the MILF leadership to task for the Mamasapano debacle.
Alan Tanjusay, TUCP spokesman, said the President should have suspended the BBL deliberations both in the Senate and in the House of Representatives until the MILF surrenders to Philippine authorities Abdul Basit Usman and the MILF commanders involved in the killing of the 44 police commandos.–Nikko Dizon with additional reports from Tina Santos, Germelina Lacorte and Jeoffrey Maitem, Inquirer Mindanao
Tuesday, February 3, 2015
Garcia, 4 Cebu district reps wary of BBL
CEBU -- Four of nine district lawmakers from Cebu City and Province expressed support Monday for suspending deliberations on the draft Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL).
While the four congressmen said they all support the search for peace in Mindanao, they also said the more urgent task now is to get to the bottom of what happened last January 25 in Mamasapano, Maguindanao, where 44 elite policemen died in pursuit of a terrorist.
“I support the peace process. However, I have reservations on the BBL on constitutional grounds,” said Representative Joseph Ace Durano (Cebu Province, fifth district). “With the massacre of our SAF (Special Action Force) men, I have reservations now as well as on the sincerity and ability of the MILF to be a partner of the Philippine Government in bringing about lasting peace in Mindanao.”
Durano said he is keeping an open mind and hopes that the investigation will address all reservations about the BBL.
Questions
Former House deputy speaker Pablo Garcia, however, said that passing the BBL would be an exercise in futility.
He told the Senate hearing on the constitutional issues of the draft Bangsamoro law that the proposal is “palpably and incorrigibly unconstitutional.”
Among the questions raised against the BBL is that it would grant the Bangsamoro greater powers than those allowed the two autonomous regions identified in the 1987 Constitution, namely, the Autonomous Region for Muslim Mindanao and the Cordillera Administrative Region.
Among others, Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago has also pointed out that a parliamentary government for the Bangsamoro cannot be created, while the rest of the country remains under a presidential form of government.
“The inconvenient yet fundamental and compelling truth,” Garcia said, “is that unless and until the Constitution is amended or revised by the Filipino people, Congress cannot, I’m sure, enact the proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law.”
‘Elementary justice’
Interviewed separately, Representative Benhur Salimbangon (Cebu Province, fourth district) said he, too, agreed with suspending deliberations on the BBL, until the country gets a clearer picture of what happened in Mamasapano.
“I join our fellow Filipinos in condemning the killing of our policemen,” Salimbangon said.
Representative Rodrigo Abellanosa (Cebu City, south) said that before the massacre in Mamasapano, he already saw that the BBL had too many objectionable provisions.
“The massacre of our law enforcers has enraged millions of Filipinos. It is now our collective mandate, not just of the lawmakers, to assume a keen, incisive and even a contemptuous attitude to the peace efforts proffered by the BBL proposal,” Abellanosa said.
What’s important, said Representative Gerald Anthony Gullas Jr. (Cebu Province, first district), is that the rule of law must be upheld.
“We must remember that our lost heroes were there to enforce the rule of law and they were the very people who swore to keep peace. If we cannot commit to elementary justice, then we cannot commit to lasting peace,” Gullas said.
As of press time, district Representatives Gwendolyn Garcia, Wilfredo Caminero and Luis Gabriel Quisumbing had yet to respond to requests for their comments.
Assurance
Two other Cebuanos in Congress who represent party-list organizations also weighed in on the discussion.
Representative Raymond Democrito Mendoza said that TUCP Party-List remains committed to the search for peace in Mindanao.
“We are also committed to justice for the SAF 44. We will ensure that the BBL conforms to our Constitution and national laws. If we don’t work for peace now, the alternative will be another vicious form of warfare, such as that waged by ISIS,” Mendoza said.
According to initial reports, the skirmish last January 25 involved not only the SAF operatives against MILF troops, but also members of the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF), a breakaway organization that has previously expressed support for ISIS.
Representative Francisco Ashley Acedillo of Magdalo party-list said that the government should secure a commitment from the MILF that in case of future encounters with the BIFF or Abu Sayyaf, the MILF would order their fighters to disengage, whether it’s the police or the military that’s involved.
“The President must demand this from the MILF leadership,” Acedillo said.
“As commander-in-chief, President Aquino must share both in the successes and achievements of his troops, as well as with their failures and losses. Sadly in Mamasapano, it is the latter that he must bear as well,” said Acedillo, who served in the Air Force. - By Elias O. Baquero(With Sunnex/Sun.Star Cebu)
While the four congressmen said they all support the search for peace in Mindanao, they also said the more urgent task now is to get to the bottom of what happened last January 25 in Mamasapano, Maguindanao, where 44 elite policemen died in pursuit of a terrorist.
“I support the peace process. However, I have reservations on the BBL on constitutional grounds,” said Representative Joseph Ace Durano (Cebu Province, fifth district). “With the massacre of our SAF (Special Action Force) men, I have reservations now as well as on the sincerity and ability of the MILF to be a partner of the Philippine Government in bringing about lasting peace in Mindanao.”
Durano said he is keeping an open mind and hopes that the investigation will address all reservations about the BBL.
Questions
Former House deputy speaker Pablo Garcia, however, said that passing the BBL would be an exercise in futility.
He told the Senate hearing on the constitutional issues of the draft Bangsamoro law that the proposal is “palpably and incorrigibly unconstitutional.”
Among the questions raised against the BBL is that it would grant the Bangsamoro greater powers than those allowed the two autonomous regions identified in the 1987 Constitution, namely, the Autonomous Region for Muslim Mindanao and the Cordillera Administrative Region.
Among others, Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago has also pointed out that a parliamentary government for the Bangsamoro cannot be created, while the rest of the country remains under a presidential form of government.
“The inconvenient yet fundamental and compelling truth,” Garcia said, “is that unless and until the Constitution is amended or revised by the Filipino people, Congress cannot, I’m sure, enact the proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law.”
‘Elementary justice’
Interviewed separately, Representative Benhur Salimbangon (Cebu Province, fourth district) said he, too, agreed with suspending deliberations on the BBL, until the country gets a clearer picture of what happened in Mamasapano.
“I join our fellow Filipinos in condemning the killing of our policemen,” Salimbangon said.
Representative Rodrigo Abellanosa (Cebu City, south) said that before the massacre in Mamasapano, he already saw that the BBL had too many objectionable provisions.
“The massacre of our law enforcers has enraged millions of Filipinos. It is now our collective mandate, not just of the lawmakers, to assume a keen, incisive and even a contemptuous attitude to the peace efforts proffered by the BBL proposal,” Abellanosa said.
What’s important, said Representative Gerald Anthony Gullas Jr. (Cebu Province, first district), is that the rule of law must be upheld.
“We must remember that our lost heroes were there to enforce the rule of law and they were the very people who swore to keep peace. If we cannot commit to elementary justice, then we cannot commit to lasting peace,” Gullas said.
As of press time, district Representatives Gwendolyn Garcia, Wilfredo Caminero and Luis Gabriel Quisumbing had yet to respond to requests for their comments.
Assurance
Two other Cebuanos in Congress who represent party-list organizations also weighed in on the discussion.
Representative Raymond Democrito Mendoza said that TUCP Party-List remains committed to the search for peace in Mindanao.
“We are also committed to justice for the SAF 44. We will ensure that the BBL conforms to our Constitution and national laws. If we don’t work for peace now, the alternative will be another vicious form of warfare, such as that waged by ISIS,” Mendoza said.
According to initial reports, the skirmish last January 25 involved not only the SAF operatives against MILF troops, but also members of the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF), a breakaway organization that has previously expressed support for ISIS.
Representative Francisco Ashley Acedillo of Magdalo party-list said that the government should secure a commitment from the MILF that in case of future encounters with the BIFF or Abu Sayyaf, the MILF would order their fighters to disengage, whether it’s the police or the military that’s involved.
“The President must demand this from the MILF leadership,” Acedillo said.
“As commander-in-chief, President Aquino must share both in the successes and achievements of his troops, as well as with their failures and losses. Sadly in Mamasapano, it is the latter that he must bear as well,” said Acedillo, who served in the Air Force. - By Elias O. Baquero(With Sunnex/Sun.Star Cebu)
Tuesday, December 16, 2014
Congress holds public hearing on Bangsamoro
FORMER House deputy speaker Pablo Garcia yesterday opposed the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) because Congress has no authority or competence to amend the Constitution to create another autonomous region.
Garcia expressed his views on the BBL during a public hearing and consultation on House Bill 4994 conducted by the Ad Hoc Committee led by Rep. Rufus Rodriguez (Cagayan de Oro) and Rep. Democrito Raymond Mendoza (TUCP Party-List).
Garcia said the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), created under Republic Act (RA) 6734 of 1989, and the Cordillera Autonomous Region (CAR), created by RA 6766, are organic parts of the country's political subdivisions and cannot be abolished by just another congressional act.
But Rodriguez said laws are subject to amendments.
“There is no such thing as an irrepealable law. Pabling (Garcia) said only one (law) can be passed by Congress but that is not true because in 2001, RA 9054 was passed amending the organic acts. So, that is already a precedent,” Rodriguez said.
Repealable
“Congress cannot amend the Constitution, but any law, like the law for ARMM and CAR can be repealed anytime because laws are dynamic,” he added.
Rep. Benhur Salimbangon (Cebu, fourth district) said that there are many questions about the Bangsamoro and the public hearings are meant to address these and come up with the right legislation.
Rep. Francisco Ashley Acedillo of the Magdalo Party-List said that sustained peace and progress in Mindanao would also mean economic growth for Cebu and the rest of the Philippines.
Rep. Gwendolyn Garcia (Cebu, third district), Rep. Raul del Mar (Cebu City North), Rep. Mujib Hataman (Basilan), Rep. Tupay Loong (Sulu), Rep. Edgar Masongsong (1-Care Party-List), rep. Jorge Almonte (Misamis Occidental), Rep. Celso Lobregat (Zamboanga) and Rep. Neri Colminares (Bayan Muna) also attended the public hearing.
Mendoza said that while there were a few who opposed the passage of the BBL, majority of those who attended the 31 public hearings nationwide support it.
“We are talking here of ending a 40-year old rebellion. That's why the vast majority are for a Bangsamoro Basic Law,” Mendoza said. - By Elias O. Baquero - SunStar
Garcia expressed his views on the BBL during a public hearing and consultation on House Bill 4994 conducted by the Ad Hoc Committee led by Rep. Rufus Rodriguez (Cagayan de Oro) and Rep. Democrito Raymond Mendoza (TUCP Party-List).
Garcia said the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), created under Republic Act (RA) 6734 of 1989, and the Cordillera Autonomous Region (CAR), created by RA 6766, are organic parts of the country's political subdivisions and cannot be abolished by just another congressional act.
But Rodriguez said laws are subject to amendments.
“There is no such thing as an irrepealable law. Pabling (Garcia) said only one (law) can be passed by Congress but that is not true because in 2001, RA 9054 was passed amending the organic acts. So, that is already a precedent,” Rodriguez said.
Repealable
“Congress cannot amend the Constitution, but any law, like the law for ARMM and CAR can be repealed anytime because laws are dynamic,” he added.
Rep. Benhur Salimbangon (Cebu, fourth district) said that there are many questions about the Bangsamoro and the public hearings are meant to address these and come up with the right legislation.
Rep. Francisco Ashley Acedillo of the Magdalo Party-List said that sustained peace and progress in Mindanao would also mean economic growth for Cebu and the rest of the Philippines.
Rep. Gwendolyn Garcia (Cebu, third district), Rep. Raul del Mar (Cebu City North), Rep. Mujib Hataman (Basilan), Rep. Tupay Loong (Sulu), Rep. Edgar Masongsong (1-Care Party-List), rep. Jorge Almonte (Misamis Occidental), Rep. Celso Lobregat (Zamboanga) and Rep. Neri Colminares (Bayan Muna) also attended the public hearing.
Mendoza said that while there were a few who opposed the passage of the BBL, majority of those who attended the 31 public hearings nationwide support it.
“We are talking here of ending a 40-year old rebellion. That's why the vast majority are for a Bangsamoro Basic Law,” Mendoza said. - By Elias O. Baquero - SunStar
Saturday, December 6, 2014
Labor code in BBL pushed
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| A Congress committee hearing on Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) |
In an interview, Trade Union Congress of the Philippine (TUCP) spokesperson Alan Tanjusay said the move will ensure workers in the proposed new independent region in Mindanao, which will be created upon the passage of the BBL, enjoys decent working conditions. He said the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) is already considering their proposal and has agreed to create a technical working group to discuss it.
“The negation for this is ongoing. In fact, they accepted our proposal to create a technical working group, which will be composed by labor groups, including TUCP, and will discuss the aspects (of the BBL) about labor, wages, workers rights and productivity,” Tanjusay said. The BBL is currently still pending in Congress. (Samuel P. Medenilla - Manila Bulletin)
Friday, October 31, 2014
ARMM employees await dialogue on employment status in new Bangsamoro region
COTABATO CITY, Philippines – Career service employees of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) eagerly look forward to a planned dialogue with lawmakers on the status of their employment in relation with the ARMM’s proposed replacement with a new Bangsamoro entity.
Members of the ARMM’s rank-and-file personnel, whose appointments were screened and attested by the Civil Service Commission (CSC), want officials of the commission to participate in the dialogue, too.
Lawyer Laisa Alamia, executive secretary of ARMM, on Thursday said Trade Union Congress of the Philippines Partylist Rep. Raymond Democrito Mendoza announced here last week that legislators will dialogue with regional officials and employees on employment concerns amid the impending creation of the Bangsamoro outfit based on the final peace compact between the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front.
Mendoza was among members of Congress that held consultations last week in Cotabato City and nearby provinces on the legal ramifications of the draft Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL), the enabling measure for the creation of a Bangsamoro government based on the government-MILF March 27, 2014 Comprehensive Agreement on Bangsamoro.
“The supposed meeting was to take place this week. It must have been reset. We are just waiting for a notice toward that end,” Alamia said.
Employees of ARMM’s more than 40 line agencies and support offices, whose functions and powers were devolved by Malacanang to the regional government based on the region’s charter, Republic Act 9054, are apprehensive the transition, from the autonomous region to the MILF-led Bangsamoro government, will render them jobless.
Alamia said while ARMM Gov. Mujiv Hataman has continuously been assuring regional employees of protection from the CSC, their feelings and sentiments are something beyond the governor’s control.
“Even so, there is overwhelming support for the peace process from the ARMM’s personnel,” Alamia said.
Last week’s congressional consultations on the draft BBL in Central Mindanao were presided over by Cagayan de Oro Rep. Rufus Rodriguez, chair of the ad-hoc House committee tasked to enact the bill into law.
The ARMM government has no fewer than 30,000 employees, more than half of them working in the region’s Department of Education. - By John Unson (philstar.com)
Sunday, October 26, 2014
Cebu lawmakers: Consult more on the Bangsamoro proposal
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| Rep Raymond Menoza with BBL Ad Hoc Com hearing in Cotabato City - Oct 23 |
CEBU - Six Cebuanos in Congress said Saturday they support the government’s dream of a lasting peace in Mindanao, but would like to hear what their constituents think of the proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law.
Public consultations in Cebu may be held next month or in January 2015, said Representative Raymond Democrito Mendoza (Party-list, TUCP), one of the co-authors of House Bill 4994. He joined the 75 Mindanao district and party-list lawmakers for a public hearing in Cotabato City last Oct. 23.
“What is important is that we come to the table and try to find another solution, since the old solution which was pursued in the past 40 years has not ended the war,” Mendoza said.
Elections in 2016
Both the House and Senate versions of the draft Bangsamoro Basic Law were submitted last month, six months after the historic signing of the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro by the Government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).
The Aquino administration is working on the passage of the Bangsamoro Basic Law, as well as the plebiscite in the Bangsamoro core territories, before the end of 2015, so that the first set of officials can be elected in 2016.
Five of nine Cebuano district representatives said they have yet to go over the details of the draft law and consult constituents, and could not yet categorically say whether or not they will vote for the bill. (Mendoza, the only Cebuano co-author of the bill, does not represent a district, but a party-list organization.)
Autonomy
“Thousands have risked their lives to achieve an elusive goal: peace. The Bangsamoro Basic Law is geared to give life to the constitutional provision of granting local autonomy, especially to those areas where the government has failed to provide adequate service to the people,” said Representative Gerald Anthony Gullas (Cebu Province, First District).
But while he said he was inclined to vote in favor of the bill, “nevertheless, Congress, especially those who drafted the bill, must examine piece by piece its provisions so as not to make any offensive stance against the Constitution,” Gullas also said.
Representative Benhur Salimbangon (Cebu Province, Fourth District) said he needs to study it further, having received only recently a copy of the framework agreement.
“This (Bangsamoro law) will open up the possibility of shifting our form of government to a federal one,” said Salimbangon.
According to the drafts, the Bangsamoro Government, as an autonomous region, will have “legislative powers over such matters as administrative organization and ancestral domain, which are not granted to local government units.”
However, the President will exercise general supervision, and the National Government will continue to exercise power over, among others, national defense, security, foreign relations, monetary policy, and customs and tariffs, according to a primer provided by the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process.
Transition
Representative Raul del Mar (Cebu City, North) said he will thoroughly go over the provisions of the bill, as well as the corresponding arguments, before taking a position.
Representative Joseph Ace Durano (Cebu Province, Fifth District) said he will study how the draft Bangsamoro Basic Law reconciles the creation of this new political entity with the constitutional provisions on the creation of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (Armm), among others.
If the basic law is passed and ratified in a plebiscite, the ARMM will be deemed abolished. A Bangsamoro Transition Authority appointed by President Benigno Aquino III will serve as the interim government, until the Bangsamoro officials are elected and can assume office.
Representative Rodrigo Abellanosa (Cebu City, South) said he will vote in favor of the Bangsamoro Basic Law if it will prove to be useful in promoting peace and unity in the country.
Abellanosa said, though, that he has many questions about the draft law.
Questions
“As previously ruled by the Supreme Court when it invalidated the 2008 memorandum of agreement on ancestral domain proposed by the previous administration, recognizing an entity ‘in preparation for independence’ violates the national integrity provisions. Hence, the next question is, ‘Does this constitute a preparation for independence of the Bangsamoro?” he said.
The congressman said he will suggest that the law “explicitly state that the Bangsamoro remains bound within the framework of the Constitution and explicitly recognizes national sovereignty.”
Both House Bill 4994 and Senate Bill 2408 provide that the National Government will retain its power over defense and external security, foreign policy, monetary policy, citizenship, postal services, immigration, some aspects of customs and tariff supervision, common market and global trade, and intellectual property rights.
The National and Bangsamoro Governments, according to the bills, will share some powers, including the power over social security, land registration, the penitentiary, auditing, civil service, justice, disaster risk reduction and management, and public order and safety.
The historic signing last March of the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro capped negotiations that started in January 1997, facilitated beginning in 2001 by the Government of Malaysia.
By Elias O. Baquero, Isolde D. Amante and Princess Dawn H. Felicitas - SunStar
Friday, October 24, 2014
Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) Ad Hoc committee hearing in Cotabato City
October 23, 2014 - Rep. Raymond Mendoza at Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) Ad Hoc committee hearing in Cotabato City with ARMM Gov. Hataman and various officials of congress and local government.
For other BBL committee schedule see link
Wednesday, October 15, 2014
Peace panels to create team to oversee ARMM-Bangsamoro transition
The peace panels of the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) are putting together a team that would coordinate preparations for the smooth transition of government functions from the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) to the Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA).
In a press statement, government peace panel head Miriam Coronel-Ferrer said the creation of the composite team was agreed upon during the three-day meeting held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia last September 27 to 29. She said the team will be in charge of all the preparations in anticipation of the passage of the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) by Congress and its subsequent ratification through a plebiscite.
“The composite team will be made up of members coming from the central and ARMM governments and the MILF,” Ferrer said.
“The terms of reference of said composite team is being drafted and is expected to be signed soon,” she added.
Job loss fears to be addressed
Ferrer said that among the supposed functions of the composite team is to address the concerns of thousands of ARMM employees who might get affected by the transition.
“The Civil Service Commission and other relevant agencies will be consulted to ensure a smooth transition,” Ferrer said.
The Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP)-Nagkaisa had earlier estimated that about 24,000 government workers in the ARMM might lose their jobs once the region is dissolved and replaced by the Bangsamoro government.
The TUCP-Nagkaisa said the Civil Service Commission (CSC) should make sure that the existing workforce will be integrated into the new Bangsamoro government through "lateral transfer and merit-based integration."
Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process Teresita Quintos Deles said that civil service rules will be followed and civil service eligibilities and entitlements of ARMM employees will be respected during the transition phase.
“We imagine that there may be some reorganization of the governmental structures in consonance with the proposed ministerial form [of government of the Bangsamoro],” Deles said, emphasizing that, “certainly in doing that, there will be a clear plan, separation benefits if necessary.”
“We’ll follow the laws of the land. Certainly to those who have civil service eligibility, we’ll have different options open to them such as being transferred to another area or by choice, being separated with due compensation. This will all undergo due process,” Deles said.
Deles added that the transition process will only begin once the BBL is passed and ratified in a plebiscite.
BTA interim government
The BBL will serve as the legal basis for the creation of the Bangsamoro juridical entity that will replace the ARMM.
Under the Comprehensive Agreement of the Bangsamoro (CAB) signed between the government and the MILF last March, the BTA shall serve as the interim government prior to the establishment of the Bangsamoro government and the assumption of its elected leaders in 2016.
According to the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPPAP), aside from the creation of the composite team, both panels have recently formalized the bodies and mechanisms that will roll out the normalization plans stated under the CAB.
These bodies include the Independent Decommissioning Body (IDB), which shall oversee the decommissioning of firearms of MILF combatants; the Joint Normalization Body (JNC), which shall coordinate the different normalization processes and mechanisms; and the Transitional Justice and Reconciliation Commission (TJRC) which, under the CAB, “shall study and recommend the appropriate mechanisms to address legitimate grievances of the Bangsamoro people, correct historical injustices, and address human rights violations through land dispossession.” — Elizabeth Marcelo/BM, GMA News
In a press statement, government peace panel head Miriam Coronel-Ferrer said the creation of the composite team was agreed upon during the three-day meeting held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia last September 27 to 29. She said the team will be in charge of all the preparations in anticipation of the passage of the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) by Congress and its subsequent ratification through a plebiscite.
“The composite team will be made up of members coming from the central and ARMM governments and the MILF,” Ferrer said.
“The terms of reference of said composite team is being drafted and is expected to be signed soon,” she added.
Job loss fears to be addressed
Ferrer said that among the supposed functions of the composite team is to address the concerns of thousands of ARMM employees who might get affected by the transition.
“The Civil Service Commission and other relevant agencies will be consulted to ensure a smooth transition,” Ferrer said.
The Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP)-Nagkaisa had earlier estimated that about 24,000 government workers in the ARMM might lose their jobs once the region is dissolved and replaced by the Bangsamoro government.
The TUCP-Nagkaisa said the Civil Service Commission (CSC) should make sure that the existing workforce will be integrated into the new Bangsamoro government through "lateral transfer and merit-based integration."
Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process Teresita Quintos Deles said that civil service rules will be followed and civil service eligibilities and entitlements of ARMM employees will be respected during the transition phase.
“We imagine that there may be some reorganization of the governmental structures in consonance with the proposed ministerial form [of government of the Bangsamoro],” Deles said, emphasizing that, “certainly in doing that, there will be a clear plan, separation benefits if necessary.”
“We’ll follow the laws of the land. Certainly to those who have civil service eligibility, we’ll have different options open to them such as being transferred to another area or by choice, being separated with due compensation. This will all undergo due process,” Deles said.
Deles added that the transition process will only begin once the BBL is passed and ratified in a plebiscite.
BTA interim government
The BBL will serve as the legal basis for the creation of the Bangsamoro juridical entity that will replace the ARMM.
Under the Comprehensive Agreement of the Bangsamoro (CAB) signed between the government and the MILF last March, the BTA shall serve as the interim government prior to the establishment of the Bangsamoro government and the assumption of its elected leaders in 2016.
According to the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPPAP), aside from the creation of the composite team, both panels have recently formalized the bodies and mechanisms that will roll out the normalization plans stated under the CAB.
These bodies include the Independent Decommissioning Body (IDB), which shall oversee the decommissioning of firearms of MILF combatants; the Joint Normalization Body (JNC), which shall coordinate the different normalization processes and mechanisms; and the Transitional Justice and Reconciliation Commission (TJRC) which, under the CAB, “shall study and recommend the appropriate mechanisms to address legitimate grievances of the Bangsamoro people, correct historical injustices, and address human rights violations through land dispossession.” — Elizabeth Marcelo/BM, GMA News
Monday, October 13, 2014
Over 24,000 Filipinos to lose job next year: TUCP
MANILA: Many workers in the Philippines and abroad are expected to be displaced next year, labor groups and recruitment industry officials has warned the national government.The Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP) was quoted as saying by Philippine Star that about 24,000 local government employees are likely to lose their jobs with the setting up of Bangsamoro Transition Council next year.
“Workers employed in municipalities, cities, provincial and regional offices will be displaced once the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao is dissolved and taken over by the Bangsamoro Transition Council,” TUCP executive director Louie Corral reportedly said.
“The major responsibility of the government is to provide safety nets for these workers who had been serving the bureaucracy quietly,” he reportedly said, adding that the Aquino government apparently has no not yet planned for the impending displacement of government employees.
He also called on the Civil Service Commission (CSC) to step in and take the necessary course of action.
“We are wondering why the commission has not geared up for one of the very important elements of the transition issue,” TUCP official Gerard Seno was quoted as saying.
Seno further said the CSC should ensure that the affected workers are integrated into the new Bangsamoro government using lateral transfer and merit-based integration rather than leaving their fate to circumstance.
Officials of the job placement industry have reported that around 4,000 Filipino workers employed in US bases in Afghanistan are also expected to be displaced by the impending pullout of US troops from Afghanistan by the end of the year.
They reportedly said about 4,000 Filipinos are still posted in Bagram Air Base and Kandahar Airfield and only around a thousand will be retained for maintenance of the military facilities.
Some of the workers are expected to return home starting November as their companies shut down after losing bids to supply logistics to the US forces.
But the workers are hoping that they will still be needed by international contractors hired by the US government, the recruitment officials were quoted as saying by Philippine Star. - The Filipino Times
Massive displacement of local, foreign workers seen next year
MANILA, Philippines - Many workers here and abroad are expected to be displaced next year, labor groups and recruitment industry officials warned the national government yesterday.
The Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP) said about 24,000 local government employees are expected to lose their jobs with the setting up of Bangsamoro Transition Council next year.
“Workers employed in municipalities, cities, provincial and regional offices will be displaced once the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao is dissolved and taken over by the Bangsamoro Transition Council,” said TUCP executive director Louie Corral.
He said the 24,000 workers are the largest number of employees to be affected as the new Bangsamoro government becomes operational.
The government, Corral said, has the primary responsibility to provide safety nets for these workers who had been serving the bureaucracy quietly.
Corral said the Aquino government apparently has no preparation in place for the impending displacement of government employees.
He called on the Civil Service Commission (CSC) to step in and take the necessary course of action.
“We are wondering why the commission has no preparations towards one of very important elements of the transition issue,” TUCP official Gerard Seno said.
Seno said the CSC should ensure that the affected workers would be integrated into the new Bangsamoro government using lateral transfer and merit-based integration rather than leaving their fate to circumstance.
Also yesterday, officials of the job placement industry reported that close to 4,000 Filipino workers employed in US bases in Afghanistan are also expected to be displaced.
Recruitment officials said thousands of overseas Filipino workers are likely to be affected by the impending pullout of US troops from Afghanistan by the end of the year.
They said about 4,000 Filipinos are still working in Bagram Air Base and Kandahar Airfield and only around a thousand will be retained for maintenance of the military facilities.
Some of the workers are expected to return home starting November as their companies closed down after losing bids to supply logistics to the US forces.
But the workers are hoping that they will still be needed by international contractors hired by the US government, the recruitment officials said. - By Mayen Jaymalin (The Philippine Star)
‘Bangsamoro should regulate Lanao plants’
THE BANGSAMORO entity that will be created to govern a Muslim autonomous region should have the primary supervision and regulation of the hydroelectric power plants in Lake Lanao, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) said on its Web site.
Citing the delineation of powers in the Annex on Power-sharing of the Framework Agreement on the Bangsamoro (FAB), the MILF said that the Bangsamoro entity would have primary jurisdiction on the issues of power generation in Mindanao.
“It is on this premise that such claim that the regulation of existing hydropower plants in Lake Lanao will remain primarily under the concerned national government agencies is not accurate, and, therefore, should be corrected at once,” the MILF said in an editorial posted on its Web site luwaran.com.
Miriam Colonel-Ferrer, the chief negotiator of the government peace panel, said that the Lake Lanao power plants will remain primarily under the concern of the national government during the Ad Hoc Committee hearing on the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) last week at the House of Representatives.
However, Ms. Ferrer clarified that power plants not connected to the national transmission grid will be under the regulatory powers of the Bangsamoro government.
Under Article XIII on Economy and Patrimony, Section 22, on Inland Waters, the proposed bill says that “the Bangsamoro shall have exclusive powers over inland waters, including but not limited to lakes, marshes, rivers and tributaries.”
The proposed bill further states that “the Bangsamoro Parliament shall enact laws on the regulation, management and protection of these resources.”
According to the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP), the current base-load of electricity in Mindanao comes largely from hydroelectric sources, which contributes roughly more than 700 megawatts to help meet the overall power demand of 1,300 megawatts in the Mindanao region.
BANGSAMORO COUNCIL WILL LEAD TO JOB CUTS
Meanwhile, labor groups have urged the Civil Service Commission (CSC) to step in and address the possible displacement of some 23,000 public sector workers -- most of whom are teachers -- in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) once the Bangsamoro Transition Council takes over by next year.
“The labor center expresses concern over the unknown fate of these workers who will be dislodged once the Bangsamoro law takes effect. We call on the Civil Service Commission to step in and take the necessary course of action,” said Gerard R. Seno, Associated Labor Unions (ALU) executive vice-president, in a press release.
Of the 23,000 workers in the region that may find themselves jobless, 18,000 are teachers.
“This is a significant number of public sector employees ever to be displaced in the course of Philippine government paving the way for the new Bangsamoro,” said Louie M. Corral, Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP) executive director, in the same release. “The government has the primary responsibility to provide safety nets for these workers who had been serving the bureaucracy quietly... They should be integrated because they are already an asset.”
For his part, CSC Commissioner Robert S. Martinez earlier said that employees which will be affected may apply for other positions if their posts will be dissolved. -- BusinessWorld Online with Jon Viktor D. Cabuenas
Citing the delineation of powers in the Annex on Power-sharing of the Framework Agreement on the Bangsamoro (FAB), the MILF said that the Bangsamoro entity would have primary jurisdiction on the issues of power generation in Mindanao.
“It is on this premise that such claim that the regulation of existing hydropower plants in Lake Lanao will remain primarily under the concerned national government agencies is not accurate, and, therefore, should be corrected at once,” the MILF said in an editorial posted on its Web site luwaran.com.
Miriam Colonel-Ferrer, the chief negotiator of the government peace panel, said that the Lake Lanao power plants will remain primarily under the concern of the national government during the Ad Hoc Committee hearing on the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) last week at the House of Representatives.
However, Ms. Ferrer clarified that power plants not connected to the national transmission grid will be under the regulatory powers of the Bangsamoro government.
Under Article XIII on Economy and Patrimony, Section 22, on Inland Waters, the proposed bill says that “the Bangsamoro shall have exclusive powers over inland waters, including but not limited to lakes, marshes, rivers and tributaries.”
The proposed bill further states that “the Bangsamoro Parliament shall enact laws on the regulation, management and protection of these resources.”
According to the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP), the current base-load of electricity in Mindanao comes largely from hydroelectric sources, which contributes roughly more than 700 megawatts to help meet the overall power demand of 1,300 megawatts in the Mindanao region.
BANGSAMORO COUNCIL WILL LEAD TO JOB CUTS
Meanwhile, labor groups have urged the Civil Service Commission (CSC) to step in and address the possible displacement of some 23,000 public sector workers -- most of whom are teachers -- in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) once the Bangsamoro Transition Council takes over by next year.
“The labor center expresses concern over the unknown fate of these workers who will be dislodged once the Bangsamoro law takes effect. We call on the Civil Service Commission to step in and take the necessary course of action,” said Gerard R. Seno, Associated Labor Unions (ALU) executive vice-president, in a press release.
Of the 23,000 workers in the region that may find themselves jobless, 18,000 are teachers.
“This is a significant number of public sector employees ever to be displaced in the course of Philippine government paving the way for the new Bangsamoro,” said Louie M. Corral, Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP) executive director, in the same release. “The government has the primary responsibility to provide safety nets for these workers who had been serving the bureaucracy quietly... They should be integrated because they are already an asset.”
For his part, CSC Commissioner Robert S. Martinez earlier said that employees which will be affected may apply for other positions if their posts will be dissolved. -- BusinessWorld Online with Jon Viktor D. Cabuenas
Concerns over possible dislocation of ARMM workers
Labour confederation says 24,000 government workers in Mindanao would be left jobless once a new body takes over from ARMM
Manila: A labour confederation has expressed fears that some 24,000 government workers in Mindanao would be left jobless once a new body takes over from the administration of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM).
“The labour centre expresses concern over the unknown fate of these workers who would be dislodged once the Bangsamoro law takes effect. We call on the civil service commission to step in and take the necessary course of action. We are wondering why the commission has no preparations towards one of the very important elements of the transition issue,” Gerard Seno, executive vice president of the Associated Labour Unions (ALU) said.
Government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front had largely focused on the political and economic aspects of the planned Bangsamoro — a self-sustaining self-rule region envisioned to be comprised by Muslim dominated areas in Central and Western Mindanao. Authorities had all but completely ignored or had forgotten about the government workers who would be left without jobs once the transition starts.
It can be recalled that in March this year, the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) signed a peace agreement, ending more than two decades of conflict with the Christian-dominated central government in Manila.
According to Seno, the labour group is proposing the civil service commission oversee transition matters pertaining to the labour sector and ensure the workforce to be integrated into the new Bangsamoro government would consider absorbing those currently employed in ARMM, with a merit-based integration adopted rather than leaving displaced employees to fend for themselves.
TUCP executive director Louie Corral said: “This is a significant number of public sector employees to be displaced. But the government has the primary responsibility to provide safety nets for these workers who had been serving the bureaucracy quietly. Rather than allowing these people fall through the crack, they should be integrated as they are already an asset.”
Sources said although a peace agreement had been signed between MILF and the government, it could still take several months until a new authority could be set up to replace ARMM.
The ARMM was set up during the administration of President Fidel V. Ramos as a result of the 1996 peace agreement between Moro National Liberation Front.
More than two decades after ARMM was established incumbent President Benigno Aquino III, as part of his promise to MILF, started work on dismantling ARMM which he described a “failed experiment” in self-rule. - By Gilbert P. Felongco, Correspondent Gulf News
>
Manila: A labour confederation has expressed fears that some 24,000 government workers in Mindanao would be left jobless once a new body takes over from the administration of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM).
During a recent House of Representatives committee deliberation on the provisions on the proposed Bangsamoro Law, officials of the civil service commission admitted to Rep. Raymond Mendoza of the Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP) Party list they have not made any plans concerning possible dislocation of workers once an administration for the envisioned self-rule region steps in.
“The labour centre expresses concern over the unknown fate of these workers who would be dislodged once the Bangsamoro law takes effect. We call on the civil service commission to step in and take the necessary course of action. We are wondering why the commission has no preparations towards one of the very important elements of the transition issue,” Gerard Seno, executive vice president of the Associated Labour Unions (ALU) said.
Government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front had largely focused on the political and economic aspects of the planned Bangsamoro — a self-sustaining self-rule region envisioned to be comprised by Muslim dominated areas in Central and Western Mindanao. Authorities had all but completely ignored or had forgotten about the government workers who would be left without jobs once the transition starts.
It can be recalled that in March this year, the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) signed a peace agreement, ending more than two decades of conflict with the Christian-dominated central government in Manila.
According to Seno, the labour group is proposing the civil service commission oversee transition matters pertaining to the labour sector and ensure the workforce to be integrated into the new Bangsamoro government would consider absorbing those currently employed in ARMM, with a merit-based integration adopted rather than leaving displaced employees to fend for themselves.
TUCP executive director Louie Corral said: “This is a significant number of public sector employees to be displaced. But the government has the primary responsibility to provide safety nets for these workers who had been serving the bureaucracy quietly. Rather than allowing these people fall through the crack, they should be integrated as they are already an asset.”
Sources said although a peace agreement had been signed between MILF and the government, it could still take several months until a new authority could be set up to replace ARMM.
The ARMM was set up during the administration of President Fidel V. Ramos as a result of the 1996 peace agreement between Moro National Liberation Front.
More than two decades after ARMM was established incumbent President Benigno Aquino III, as part of his promise to MILF, started work on dismantling ARMM which he described a “failed experiment” in self-rule. - By Gilbert P. Felongco, Correspondent Gulf News
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