There’s been so much debate lately over whether to pass the Bangsamoro Basic Law. Some legislators are so discouraged to support it because of the Mamasapano tragedy that they describe as a betrayal by Muslim rebels specifically the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).
The Lower House suspended deliberation of the BBL law. President Aquino has been pushing for passage of the law as his legacy of peace in Mindanao to the extent that he is now being criticized for unduly favoring the MILF and supporting the BBL despite the atrocious deaths of 44 Special Action Force policemen who were basically murdered.
Now critics are questioning the huge budget that the Bangsamoro would be getting from the national government, comparing it to the share that local government units are receiving.
But I say let us give peace a chance. Remember that many parts of Mindanao have always been ravaged by war. Secondly, the government has neglected Mindanao. There were times it got support from the national government not necessarily to develop the area but for a political agenda.
The P70 billion budget allocated by the government for the first year of existence of the Bangsamoro is good for its people in order to jumpstart the development of Central Mindanao where many of its people suffer from inadequate education and lack of decent medical facilities. Those who are so critical of the BBL must realize that life has not been easy for the people of Mindanao. For decades, it was neglected by the Manila central government.
We should let the people of Mindanao design their own future and not leave it to leaders in Manila. It’s easy for us who don’t reside in Mindanao to declare an all-out war and not support the BBL.
Decision makers who are not from there don’t know the real situation in Mindanao, with all its peculiarities different from the dynamics of Metro Manila and Cebu.
I really pity the people of Mindanao who are exploited by leaders in Metro Manila and local political leaders supported by the national government. Those who favor all-out war don’t realize the trauma long borne by people in Mindanao. I would challenge them to share the experiences of people who live there, especially the children and women caught in the middle of the war.
The attitude of Muslims also reflects how we have treated them for decades, how we have ignored their pleas for change for so many years. Many of our Christian brothers and sisters living in Mindanao practically own the properties that they are residing, coexisting with Muslims.
Muslim people have their own culture and tradition. We have to respect their uniqueness.
I am not pro-Muslim or anti-Muslim. I am pro-peace and want a better life for people in Mindanao who have long suffered the effects of war.
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I am in favor of reviving the bill sponsored by Cebu City Rep. Raul del Mar seeking to create a Metro Cebu Development Authority that adopts the same concept of the Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA). This body would establish coordination of basic services that affects localities in the metropolis like garbage collection and waste management, and the establishment of flood control system.
We have had bitter experience where flooding in Mandaue City affects neighboring localities like Cebu City in the same manner that the bad traffic in Cebu City affects traffic in Mandaue City.
Now we experience the wisdom of the saying that no man is an island. No locality can stand alone. There is always a need to coordinate with neighbors to provide better services to the public.