Metro Manila (CNN Philippines) — A petition for intervention was filed before the Supreme Court early morning on Tuesday, August 11, by various groups from Mindanao who maintained that the Comprehensive Agreement on Bangsamoro (CAB) and the Framework Agreement of the Bangsamoro (FAB) are constitutional.
Petitioners claimed, they belong to 13 groups coming from conflict-afflicted communities, women, youths, indigenous peoples, and displaced communities in Mindanao.
Their move aims to counter the petition filed last June by the Philippine Constitution Association (PHILCONSA), headed by Leyte Rep. Martin Romualdez, with former Sen. Francisco “Kit” Tatad, Zamboanga Archbishop Romulo dela Cruz, Davao City Archbishop Emeritus Fernando Capalla , and some BBL critics.
In their petition, Romualdez et al., asked the Supreme Court to nullify both CAB and the FAB, from which the Bangsamoro Basic Law was derived.
PHILCONSA argued that both CAB and FAB are similar to the Memorandum of Agreement on Ancestral Domain (MOA-AD) which was declared unconstitutional by the high court.
According to PHILCONSA’s legal counsel Atty. Manuel Lazaro, if both are rendered unconstitutional, then it’s likely that the BBL will be deemed unconstitutional too.
BBL “too politicized”
For Atty. Takahiro Aman, legal counsel of the groups from Mindanao, the Bangsamoro Basic Law has been too much politicized by lawmakers.
Aman said, “FAB and CAB [are] not MOA-AD”.
The groups from Mindanao attested that they were consulted regarding the CAB and FAB unlike PHILCONSA’s claims that there has been none.
“May nangyari na pong consultation direkta sa mga mamamayan ng Bangsamoro entity at sa ilang Pilipino na labas sa Mindanao,” Aman said.
[Translation: There was a consultation, directly with the people in Bangsamoro entity and with some Filipinos outside Mindanao.]
The petitioners also said that they find it irresponsible for groups wanting to nullify the CAB to use the issue for political purposes.
Petitions on BBL premature
A week after PHILCONSA filed their petition, the Supreme Court ruled that questioning the legality of the BBL is premature since the proposed measure has not yet been passed into law.
The high court instead, ordered the government to respond to the consolidated petitions of PHILCONSA and of former Negros Oriental Rep. Jacinto “Jing” Paras, who filed a similar petition.
The Supreme Court ordered former government peace panel head and now Supreme Court Associate Justice Marvic Leonen, present chief peace negotiator Miriam Coronel-Ferrer, MILF peace panel chairman Mohagher Iqbal and others, to submit their respective comments on the petition.
Associate Justice Leonen, as one of the respondents, inhibited in the case.
CNN Philippines’ Rex Remitio contributed to this report.
