Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, June 29) — Presidential adviser to the peace process Jesus Dureza said President Rodrigo Duterte was expected to receive the draft of a law aimed at bringing peace to Mindanao before July 24.
“I think it will be middle of July, before the SONA (State of the Nation Address),” Dureza told CNN Philippines’ The Source on Thursday.
“The Bangsamoro Transition Commission (BTC), they’re done with their work now. They’re ready to turn over to the President the output of their work.”
Dureza was referring to the draft Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) — which was finished on June 6 — that aims to establish a new region for the Bangsamoro, a collective term for Filipino Muslims, to replace the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.
The draft BBL was crafted by the BTC – which previously had only 15 members but had been expanded to 21: with 11 members from the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), seven from the government, and three members from the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF).
Related: 21 members of expanded Bangsamoro transition body named
Government implementing panel chair for the Bangsamoro Irene Santiago told CNN Philippines’ The Source last June 7 that the BBL would address the root cause of extremism in Mindanao.
“One of the fundamental needs of a human being – of any group – is the acceptance of identity,” she said. “A caliphate is something that is a dream … it’s all part of identity, belonging, and need to be part of decision-making.”
Santiago also said last June 8 that the BTC planned to give the draft on June 13 or 14. However, the turnover has been delayed four times.
Meanwhile, Dureza added that he believed the BBL would be enacted before Duterte steps down in 2022.
“Pero we cannot set timelines dahil nasa Kongreso ang ball [But we cannot set timelines because Congress has the ball],” he said.
“The ball is in their court when it is submitted to them.” he added. “Whether it will pass, that’s entirely the prerogative of Congress.”
Campaign promise
Duterte, the first President from Mindanao, promised during the 2016 presidential campaign to pass the BBL if he were elected.
The BBL was first submitted to the Aquino administration in 2014, but the previous Congress failed to pass when it adjourned in February 2016.
The Duterte administration and the MILF have also been working together to address the peace situation in Mindanao, with the armed group helping establish a peace corridor in Marawi City, which has been the site of intense fighting between terrorists and government forces since July 23.
Dureza said although the Marawi crisis has affected the peace talks, it also became the chance for the MILF to step up in working with the government.
“When Marawi happened, Al Haj Murad Ebrahim, the chair of the MILF, immediately called me by phone and he said,” We’d like to help, “Dureza said.” So I said, “Can I arrange a meeting between you and the President? “ And out of that meeting, they agreed that the MILF will help in the humanitarian peace corridor we call it. “
