MANILA, Philippines (Xinhua) - A few months ago, the passage of a law that would create a Bangsamoro sub-state in the southern Philippines would have been a "walk in the park" because of the firm control by President Benigno S. Aquino III of both houses of Congress in the Philippines.
But now after the botched police operation on Jan. 25 in the town or Mamasapano, province of Maguindanao in Mindanao where 44 members of the Special Action Force (SAF) of the Philippine National Police were killed by guerrillas of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), everything has changed.
President Aquino himself has admitted that the Mamasapano bloodbath has sowed doubts in the minds of Filipinos on the sincerity of the MILF towards the peace process but he added that this could be addressed by pushing through with the debates on the proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL).
Exactly one year after the Aquino government signed a peace agreement with the MILF in Manila, Aquino announced on Friday the formation of a council composed of business, legal and religious leaders to save the BBL by answering all the criticisms hurled against the measure.
In a televised address, Aquino named Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle, former Chief Justice Hilario Davide Jr., and businessman Jaime Augusto Zobel de Ayala as among those who will compose the National Peace Council.
In his address, Aquino said if the BBL is discarded, Filipinos would stand to lose more since more people would be dragged into the conflict and the chance to achieve lasting peace and prosperity in Mindanao would be lost.
Bangsamoro, which literally means "nation of Moros," is a sub- state with sovereign powers to be governed exclusively by Filipino Muslims.
The President said that those who are neglected and abused by the system and by institutions would further feel mistreated and suffer more if the BBL won't pass in Congress.
"This is the crossroad that we face: We take pains to forge peace today, or we count body bags tomorrow," Aquino warned.
Philstar
