Aquino allies hope the process will speed up approval of Bangsamoro law
Iligan City — Allies of President Aquino renewed their calls to speed up the legislative process for the proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) in view of the decommissioning of weapons and combatants of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).
“I hope that Congress moves with urgency on the proposed BBL because the decommissioning process will move much faster with the passage and ratification of the bill, and combatants on the ground will be able to return to civilian lives much sooner,” said Misamis Occidental Rep. Henry Oaminal, vice-chair of the House ad hoc committee on the BBL.
Today, President Aquino will witness the turnover of 75 high-powered weapons from the Bangsamoro Islamic Armed Forces (BIAF), the MILF’s armed wing, to the Independent Decommissioning Body (IDB) as well as the return into civilian life of an initial 145 warriors.
With the handover, the IDB will oversee the storage of the weapons until these are put beyond use. Set for turnover are 55 high-powered and 20 crew-served weapons.
Decommissioning of the BIAF is among the most significant aspect of the peace pact forged throughout 17 years of political negotiations between the Philippine government and the MILF.
It represents the commitment of the MILF to embrace democratic and nonviolent means to pursue its political goals in exchange for the government redoing the Moro self-governance setup to embody greater political and economic powers for a new autonomous entity. /inquirer
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