MANILA, Philippines - Sen. Teofisto Guingona III yesterday called on his Senate colleagues to consider the Basic Law for the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region (BLBAR) as more than just a legislative document, highlighting the bill’s cultural and historical importance to the Bangsamoro quest for self-determination and genuine autonomy.
“I would like to remind everyone that this document is not just a legal document. It is a political document. And to a certain extent it is also a historical document that we are crafting here. We should not just consider the legal aspect but also the cultural context of this document,” Guingona said.
The Senate committee on local government led by Sen. Ferdinand Marcos Jr. drafted the BLBAR to replace the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) over questions of unconstitutionality in some of its provisions.
The BBL was drafted by the Bangsamoro Transition Commission and reviewed and finalized by the Office of the President.
Marcos introduced significant changes to the BLBAR, prompting questions from peace proponents on whether the prospective Bangsamoro will be better off than the current Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM).
Sen. Paolo Benigno Aquino IV questioned the deletion of the envisioned Bangsamoro regional government’s power over inland waters despite this power being explicitly given in the ARMM law.
Marcos has insisted that the Bangsamoro region envisioned in the BLBAR will not have fewer powers than the ARMM, saying “diminishing privileges already granted to ARMM will be a step back.”
Guingona made the statement within the context of control over resources, specifically pertaining to inland waters, saying “it’s already been granted under the ARMM law but it has been taken away from the Bangsamoro by the committee report.”
Marcos explained the changes with regard to the control of inland waters are under the provisions of the Local Government Code.