Zambo solon vows active involvement in drafting Bangsamoro law

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines - Rep. Celso Lobregat vowed to play an active role in the formulation of the Basic Laws for the proposed Bangsamoro homeland of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) when the Congress opens later this month.

Lobregat, a known staunch but constructive critic on the ongoing peace talks between the Philippine government and MILF, said the participation is to ensure that the position and sentiments of the city, which opted out from the proposed Bangsamoro homeland, are respected. 

“The Bangsamoro Basic Law will not only affect the areas included within but also the country as a whole,” said Lobregat, a former mayor of the city.

“Expect that in Congress I will be very active in the formulation of the Bangsamoro Basic Law— ensuring that the position and sentiments of Zamboanga City are respected”, the former mayor said.

By playing an active role, Lobregat said that it is not to block the proposal but to ensure the Bangsamoro Basic Law will be acceptable and would not face opposition. 

Lobregat reiterated that the city remained committed to support the peace process in Mindanao. 

The former city executive was instrumental in the defense before the Supreme Court on the botched signing of the Memorandum of Agreement on the Ancestral Domain (MOA-AD) which saw the high court from rejecting the agreement citing it as unconstitutional in 2008.

The government and MILF peace panel will resume the next round of exploratory talks within this month to further discuss the annexes on wealth sharing, power sharing and normalization, salient issues that have remained as stumbling blocks in the comprehensive agreement.

The Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process stated that once the comprehensive agreement will be arrived at, the Bangsamoro Transition Commission can now start drafting the Bangsamoro Basic Law.