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
No comments:
Post a Comment