“The Bangsamoro people are assured that their clamor did not fall on deaf ears.

President Rodrigo Roa Duterte’s signing of the Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL) last week is a milestone aimed at – using the Chief Executive’s words – the historical injustices committed against the Moro people in Mindanao.

The law aims to “establish a political entity, provide its basic structure of government in recognition of the justness and legitimacy of the cause of the Bangsamoro people and the aspirations of Muslim Filipinos and all indigenous cultural communities in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) to secure their identity and posterity, allowing for meaningful self-governance within the framework of the Constitution and the national sovereignty as well as territorial integrity of the Republic of the Philippines.”

The social, economic and political conditions of Mindanao at present are all highly conducive for this passage. For one, majority of the Bangsamoro people have all been clamoring for genuine autonomy.

With the signing of the BOL, the Bangsamoro people are assured that their clamor did not fall on deaf ears. This, in fact, is landmark legislation by the Duterte administration to give peace a chance in Mindanao.

The BOL was crafted by the Bangsamoro Transition Commission and approved by the bicameral conference committee of the House of Representatives and the Senate after days of intense debates and discussions to reconcile the differences and hammer out the issues between the House’s and Senate’s versions of the bill.

The BOL will abolish the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) and replace it instead with the BARMM, which would have greater autonomy.

Before the BOL can be implemented, it must be subjected to a plebiscite in the ARMM and other affected areas and majority of the votes cast in the plebiscite must approve of the BOL. The Commission on Elections will handle the plebiscite.

But while security and order will still remain at the hands of the national government, the signing of this law grants the Bangsamoro to have its own regional government, parliament and justice system, which is the Shari’a law.

Moreover, the law will also guarantee the BARMM an annual 5 percent share of the national revenue apart from the 75 percent of the taxes collected in the region.

Following the signing, the international community expressed support for this historic event.

For one, the United Nations (UN) has hailed the signing of the BOL as a landmark achievement “on the road to lasting peace in southern Philippines.”

“The United Nations will continue to support the Philippines in the implementation of the law, and to help build the capacity of the Bangsamoro Transition Authority as an effective conduit for peace, democratic governance and human rights,” said a spokesman for UN Secretary-General António Guterres.

“The international community expressed support for this historic event.

The European Union (EU) echoed this same sentiment, saying the passage of the Bangsamoro law “represents an opportunity for the Filipino people to embrace peace and stability after decades of strife.” The EU said the BOL “comes after 21 years of formal talks after the first ceasefire agreement between the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front” and “underlines both parties’ commitment to peace and their ability to tackle a variety of complex matters through a comprehensive and inclusive law.”

Meanwhile, Japan commended the efforts of the Duterte administration, the MILF and all those who helped make the BOL a reality.

Japan also said it would enhance its support for the development of Mindanao in a wide range of fields, in accordance with progress in the peace process.

The outpouring of support from the international community will be vital to achieving peace and prosperity in Mindanao. As Presidential Peace Adviser Jesus Dureza said, “A collective international voice of support for the country’s work to attain sustainable peace embodies the international community’s recognition of President Duterte’s unwavering commitment for a better Philippines.”

Without a doubt, the President is firm in his pledge, which he articulated in his most recent State of the Nation Address, not to deny our Muslim brothers and sisters the basic legal tools to chart their own destiny within the constitutional framework of our country.

The BOL is a fitting symbol for this commitment. Kapayapaan para sa bayan (Peace for the nation).