Bangsamoro Basic Law

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Map of the Philippines highlighting the location of the proposed Bangsamoropolitical entity in Mindanao.
The Bangsamoro Basic Law or BBL is a draft law intended to establish the Bangsamoro political entity in the Philippines and
provide for its basic structure of government, which will replace the existing Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.[1]
The BBL was passed in the House of Representatives despite probation against Constitution
The proposed law is based on the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro, the peace agreement signed between
theGovernment of the Philippines and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front.[1]
The draft of the law was personally submitted by President Benigno Aquino III to Congress leaders on September 10, 2014.[2]
Reception[edit]
A March 2015 survey conducted by public opinion polling group Pulse Asia found that 44% of Filipinos were opposed to the law's
passage, with only 22% supporting its passage.[3] Opposition to the law was strongest among the poor (45% in Class D, 43% in
Class E) and among those living in Mindanao (62%).[3] Awareness of the law was high, at 88%.[3]
With the collapse in popularity of the bill, House Speaker Feliciano Belmonte, Jr. acknowledged the prospect that the bill may be
rejected by Congress in the face of stiff public opposition, and hoped that the government would produce a "Plan B". [4]
References[edit]
1.

^ Jump up to:a b "FAQs about the Bangsamoro Basic Law". GMA News Online. GMA Network. September 10,
2014. Retrieved February 16, 2015.

2.

Jump up^ Andreo Calonzo (September 10, 2014). "PNoy personally submits draft Bangsamoro law to
Congress leaders". GMA News Online. GMA Network. Retrieved February 16, 2015.

3.

^ Jump up to:a b c Calonzo, Andreo (March 19, 2015). "44% of Pinoys oppose passage of BBL Pulse
Asia". GMA News Online. GMA Network. Retrieved March 19, 2015.

4.

Jump up^ Yap, DJ; Salaverria, Leila; Dizon, Nikko (March 20, 2015). "44% vs BBL: Govt needs Plan
B". Inquirer.net. Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved March 19, 2015.

Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Comprehensive Agreement on Bangsamoro (CAB) is a final peace agreement signed

between the Government of the Philippines and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front on 27 March 2014
at the Malacaan Palace in Manila.[1] Under the agreement, the Islamic separatists would turn over
their firearms to a third party, which would be selected by the rebels and the Philippine government.
The MILF had agreed to decommission its armed wing, the Bangsamoro Islamic Armed Forces
(BIAF). In return, the government would establish an autonomous Bangsamoro. Power sharing was
a central point to the autonomy redesign.
The current ARMM charter lists 14 areas that are outside the powers of the regional legislature. In
this comprehensive peace agreement, the parties lists 81 powers categorized into reserved for the
central government, exclusive to the Bangsamoro, and concurrent with or shared by the two sides
for power sharing. Of the 81 powers, 58 are devolved to the Bangsamoro, nine are reserved to the
central government, and 14 are shared.[2] The Framework Agreement on the Bangsamoro and Four

annexes, namely on Transitional Arrangements and Modalities, Revenue Generation and Wealth
Sharing, Power Sharing and Normalization, together with the Addendum on Bangsamoro Waters,
will be included in the comprehensive agreement. [3] The Armed Forces of the Philippines has raised
red alert status on 24 March in preparation for the event. Philippine President Benigno Aquino
III, MILF chair Hadji Murad Ibrahim, and Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak are among the key
people expected to be present at the signing of the agreement. [4]

Background[edit]
See also: Moro insurgency in the Philippines
In pursuit of their goal of liberating Bangsamoro, the MNLF engaged the government forces in
extensive armed collisions,[5] peaking in the early 70s when the rebels blitz-like operations brought
them control of a substantial number of municipalities surrounding Cotabato City and its airport
complex. This prompted the Marcos regime to beef up military presence by deploying almost threefourths of the army[6] in most Muslim parts of Mindanao. Things took a different turn in 1976
when Libyanleader Muammar Gaddafi brokered an agreement[7] that led to the signing of the Tripoli
Agreement[8] introducing the concept of an autonomous Muslim region in Mindanao. On 1 August
1989, under the mandate of the new 1987 Constitution, [9] Congress enacted Republic Act
6734[10] authorizing the creation of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao(ARMM). However,
out of the 13 provinces and 9 cities that participated in the plebiscite, [11] only the provinces of Lanao
del Sur, Maguindanao, Sulu, and Tawi-Tawi opted to become part of the ARMM. The ARMM was
formally established on 6 November 1990.[12]
Instead of bringing the Muslim leaders together, this agreement further fragmented the MNLF,
[13]
because some factions within the group preferred independence over autonomy. Thus, a group of
officers led by Hashim Salamat broke away[14] and formed the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) to
continue their armed struggle for an independent Bangsamoro (Moro nation) in Mindanao.
Though the combined strength of these two rebel forces has not reached a point of posing any real
threat to the government in Manila, their existenceand the reasons for their resiliencecertainly
brings lots of headaches for the government. For nearly five decades, five presidents have tried to
completely end these two rebellions, utilizing both forceand diplomacy. So far, no combination has
succeeded. Perhaps the most remarkable effort to bring closure to these movements was that of
the Ramos Administration, which tried to reach out to both the communist and Muslim rebels through
peaceful means. There were many efforts to reach peace with Islamist separatists.

Framework Agreement[edit]
Main article: Framework Agreement on the Bangsamoro
On 15 October 2012, the Philippine government signed a much-hyped document touted as
the Framework Agreement on the Bangsamoro], which culminated the Aquino Administration's effort
to end the deadlock in the peace process. This new document, while merely providing for a general
framework for the actual peace negotiations, announced that "the status quo is unacceptable and
that the Bangsamoro shall be established to replace the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao
(ARMM). The Bangsamoro was the new autonomous political entity (NPE) referred to in the Decision
Points of Principles as of April 2012." According to President Aquino, this was the agreement that
could "finally seal genuine, lasting peace in Mindanao."[15] with Bangsamoro replacing ARMM which
was described by President Benigno Aquino III as "a failed experiment".[16]

Reaching the Agreement[edit]

The peace talks between the MILF and the Philippine government had been brokered
by Malaysia since 1997. After 2009, the negotiations were also supported by an International

Contact Group(the ICG).[17] The ICG represented an innovation in peace process support, in that it
was a hybrid body composed of both states and international non-governmental organisations
(INGOs). The members were Turkey, Saudi Arabia, the United Kingdom, and Japan, The Asia
Foundation, the Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue,Muhammadiyah, and Conciliation Resources.
When the Asia Foundation became an official member of the Third Party Monitoring Team in 2012,
the Community of SanEgidio from Italy replaced the Asia Foundation in the ICG.
On 24 January 2014, Philippine government chief negotiator Miriam Coronel Ferer and MILF chief
negotiator Mohagher Iqbal signed a peace agreement in Kuala Lumpur. The agreement would pave
the way for the creation of the new Muslim autonomous entity called "Bangsamoro" under a law to
be approved by the Philippine Congress.
The government aims to set up the region by 2016. The agreement calls for Muslim self-rule in parts
of the southern Philippines in exchange for a deactivation of rebel forces by the MILF. MILF forces
would turn over their firearms to a third party to selected by the MILF and the Philippine government.
A regional police force would be established, and the Philippine military would reduce the presence
of troops and help disband private armies in the area. [18] In the Agreement, the government
committed to change a 37-year autonomy experiment whose current version, the Autonomous
Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), has failed to live up to the Moro peoples aspiration for
freedom from a highly centralized government.[2]

References[edit]
1.

Jump up^ "500 MILF members to attend Bangsamoro accord signing at Palace | Inquirer
News". Newsinfo.inquirer.net. 2014-03-25. Retrieved 2015-02-27.

2.

^ Jump up to:a b "Power-sharing central to Moro self-rule | Inquirer News".

Newsinfo.inquirer.net. 2014-03-27. Retrieved 2015-02-27.

3.

Jump up^ Rodel, Jose (2014-02-12). "Bangsamoro deal signed by March | Headlines,
News, The Philippine Star". philstar.com. Retrieved 2015-02-27.

4.

Jump up^ Romero, Alexis (2014-03-25). "AFP on red alert vs. peace deal spoilers |
Headlines, News, The Philippine Star". philstar.com. Retrieved 2015-02-27.

5.

Jump up^ "Muslim Rulers and Rebels". Publishing.cdlib.org. Retrieved 2015-02-27.

6.

Jump up^ "The Origins of the Muslim Separatist Movement in the Philippines". Asia
Society. Retrieved 2015-02-27.

7.

Jump up^ "Militant Islam in Southeast Asia: Crucible of Terror - Zachary Abuza - Google
Books". Books.google.com. Retrieved 2015-02-27.

8.

Jump up^ "MNLF Home Page". Mnlfnet.com. Retrieved 2015-02-27.,

9.

Jump up^ [1][dead link]

10.

Jump up^ "R.A. 6734". Lawphil.net. 1989-08-01. Retrieved 2015-02-27.,

11.

Jump up^ "Fast Facts on the ARMM Elections". Abs-cbnnews.com. Retrieved 2015-0227.

12.

Jump up^ "Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao". Unterm.un.org. Retrieved 201502-27.

13.

Jump up^ "Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF)". Fas.org. Retrieved 2015-02-27.

14.

Jump up^ [2][dead link]

15.

Jump up^ "Speech of President Aquino during the signing of the GPH-MILF Framework
Agreement on the Bangsamoro, October 15, 2012 | Official Gazette of the Republic of the
Philippines". Gov.ph. 2012-10-15. Retrieved 2015-02-27.

16.

Jump up^ "Govt, MILF agree to create Bangsamoro to replace ARMM | News | GMA
News Online". Gmanetwork.com. 2012-10-07. Retrieved 2015-02-27.

17.

Jump up^ "Innovation in mediation support: The International Contact Group in

Mindanao" (PDF). C-r.org. Retrieved 2015-02-27.

18.

Jump up^ "Bangkok Post article". Bangkok Post article. 2014-01-25. Retrieved 2015-0227.