House panel wants suspension of arrest warrants for Nur, Kato

MANILA, Philippines - A congressional panel tasked to scrutinize the draft Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) is pushing for the suspension of the arrest warrants against Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) founding chairman Nur Misuari and Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) chief Umbra Kato to allow them to attend the congressional hearings on the proposed law.

Cagayan de Oro Rep. Rufus Rodriguez, head of the 75-member panel, told reporters during the weekly Kapihan sa Diamond Hotel in Manila that they want to get insights from the two rebel leaders whose men were responsible for recent deadly attacks on civilians in some parts of Mindanao, particularly Zamboanga City.

“I have already talked to (Justice) Secretary (Leila) de Lima for the filing of motion for the suspension of warrants for at least three days,” Rodriguez said

He said the presence of Misuari and Kato in the congressional hearings would greatly help the panel in fine-tuning the proposed law.

He said Misuari specifically could help make the BBL compatible with the 1996 peace accord brokered by the Organization of Islamic Cooperation.

Rodriguez also said that they would ask Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin to issue safe conduct passes to the two rebel leaders for their travel to and from Manila.

He said they have already invited Misuari and Kato and details are being finalized for their attendance in the congressional hearing.

Rodriguez said Congress would hold a series of public consultations in Mindanao and Sulu to get the pulse of the people in the affected areas.

“We will be working overtime, even during congressional breaks, to fast-track the passage of the bill,” he said.

Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. said an initial allocation of P2 million is being readied to support the 75-member ad hoc panel.

Romblon Rep. Eleandro Jesus Madrona, chairman of the House committee on accounts, said there are enough funds to support the panel.

“Requirements for funding are still being discussed, especially that we plan to hold hearings by teams in affected areas in Mindanao simultaneously,” Rodriguez said.

Justice first

But Rodriguez’s proposal is likely to face rough sailing in Zamboanga City, where hundreds of civilians died or lost their homes as a result of violence perpetrated by forces loyal to Misuari.

City Mayor Ma. Isabelle Climaco-Salazar told The STAR yesterday that local officials and city residents wanted justice for the victims of the killing rampage Misuari and his followers launched in September 2013.

Misuari has been charged with rebellion and violation of international humanitarian law, as well as genocide and other crimes against humanity.

“On our part, as what I’ve said, let justice be served which is necessary to the case that we have filed, and they have to respond to it necessarily,” Salazar said.

She said the DOJ would have a lot of explaining to do if it grants the request of the congressional panel reviewing the BBL.

The MNLF, however, appears not interested in Rodriguez’s initiative.

“It’s not a question whether we allow the chairman or not, the MNLF cannot and will not participate (in hearings on the BBL),” Habib Mujahab Hashim, MNLF chair for the Islamic Command Council (ICC), said.

Hashim said from the very start they were opposed to the preliminary agreement between MILF and the government, which he said was tantamount to the abrogation of the existing 1996 final peace agreement of the MNLF.

What the government should do, according to the MNLF, is to drop the criminal cases against Misuari so he could officially represent the OIC-recognized organization.

Approval in Q1 next year

Senate President Franklin Drilon, meanwhile, expressed confidence the BBL would be approved in the first quarter of next year.

The BBL was formally filed with the Senate yesterday through Senate Bill 2408. The measure was referred to the committees on local government and on peace, unification and reconciliation.

Co-authors of the bill aside from Drilon were Vicente Sotto III, Alan Peter Cayetano, Loren Legarda, Ralph Recto, JV Ejercito, Nancy Binay, Francis Escudero, Paolo Benigno Aquino IV, Juan Edgardo Angara, Pia Cayetano, Gregorio Honasan II, and Teofisto Guingona III.

“It has the support of the majority of the senators. Thirteen senators signed as co-authors. There is a bipartisan support. What is significant is the four members of the minority group in the Senate led by acting minority leader Sen. Vicente Sotto III signed as co-authors,” Drilon said.

Before the start of the committee hearings on the BBL, the senators would be briefed on the issue by individuals involved in the crafting of the proposed law on Sept. 23.

The briefing was requested by Sen. Ferdinand Marcos Jr., chairman of the committee on local government.

Drilon said the most important issue that would be taken up during the deliberations on the BBL is its constitutionality.

“The first important issue is that the Bangsamoro Basic Law should not require an amendment in the Constitution. It should be consistent with the Constitution, just like any other law that we approve. We are confident that we will be able to pass this law within the first quarter of next year,” Drilon said.

“The senators recognize the need for a basic law which will replace the present charter of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) once the bill and the law is ratified,” he said.

“It is only upon ratification by the concerned sector that the law becomes effective and therefore the present law will be replaced,” he added.

Drilon said he expects a “lively debate” on the bill as each senator would want to thoroughly examine every provision in the measure.

He said he expects the debates to focus on the form of government that would emerge from the Bangsamoro Juridical Entity.

“The Bangsamoro Juridical Entity will have a ministerial form of government. It is our view that there is nothing in the Constitution that prohibits that. What is provided in the Constitution is that the basic law must be ratified that will provide for the legislative and the judiciary branches. It does not say what form of government it should be,” Drilon said.

“In other words, there is enough leeway in the Constitution. There is nothing in the Constitution that prohibits the parliamentary system of government. To me that can be defended,” he added.

In Cotabato City, the Institute for Autonomy and Governance (IAG) announced it would launch on Sept. 18 a periodic radio forum aimed at generating awareness on the intricacies of the draft BBL.

Benedicto Bacani, executive director of IAG, said all is set for the “Talkshop Series on Bangsamoro” at the Notre Dame University (NDU) in Cotabato City.

The IAG’s peace advocacy programs in Mindanao have the support of the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung of Germany.

Bacani said the forum would be aired simultaneously by Catholic stations dxMS and dxND in the cities of Cotabato and Kidapawan, respectively.  – John Unson, Marvin Sy, Roel Pareño, Paolo Romero