Instead of calling it a setback, Senator Juan Edgardo “Sonny” Angara sees the temporary suspension in deliberations on the proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) as a chance for lawmakers to mull the possible impact of the measure.
Angara said it is a good thing that the House of Representatives can take a breather from discussing the Bangsamoro bill considering the breakneck speed that the panel created to work on the bill has been holding discussions.
Angara is one of the co-authors of the BBL at the Senate. Shortly after the bloody Jan. 25 clash, Senate Majority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano and Senator Joseph Victor Ejercito withdrew as co-authors of the bill.
While stressing he supports the concept of peace “in general,” Angara said efforts to attain it should be balanced with justice, especially in light of the death of 44 Special Action Force (SAF) commandos during a clash with Moro rebels last Jan. 25.
“Eh sa ngayon parang dehado pa ang estado eh, parang masama pa ang loob, so maghintay-hintay pa tayo. Sana ang MILF naman ay magpakita sila ng [participation] sa trust-building dahil nawala ang tiwala sa kanila eh. Makapagpakita man lang sila ng good faith sa negosasyon at ipakita nilang hindi sila nagtatago ng terorista,” he said.
The Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), which signed a peace agreement with the government last year, was among the groups that fought the SAF troopers in Mamasapano, Maguindanao. The group has denied coddling the high-profile targets of the SAF’s covert operation, Malaysian terrorist Zulkifli bin Hir alias Marwan and Filipino bomb maker Abdul Basit Usman.
MILF urged to turn over fighters involved in clash
For his part, Valenzuela City Rep. Sherwin Gatchalian urged the MILF to show its commitment to the peace process not only by returning the firearms and equipment it had seized from the slain SAF commandos, but by ensuring there is no cover-up in its own internal investigation.
He said the MILF can also prove its sincerity by voluntarily turning over its members involved in the Mamasapano clash.
