MILF notes ‘missing parts’ in BOL

Iqbal admitted that “over and above,” the BOL is laudable for giving powers and access to resources to the Bangsamoro government

Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) peace panel chairman Mohagher Iqbal on Tuesday said that while they praise the Duterte administration for passing the Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL), he stressed that a significant chunk of their proposal has been left out of the newly created measure.

In a televised interview, Iqbal said that almost 15 percent of their proposal was not captured in the BOL — which was recently signed into law by President Rodrigo Duterte – compared to the proposal of the Bangsamoro Transitional Commission (BTC).

The BOL, Iqbal said, bears “a significant difference” from the original proposal. “It is not a question of disappointment; it is a question of continuing assertion that if there is anything missing on the bill, the government should fill in the missing provisions,” he said.

The MILF peace panel chair also pointed out how the preamble in the BOL seemed to have been formulated from the perspective of the entire Filipino people, and from that of the Bangsamoro people.

“It’s common for a preamble that the one speaking is the one who asserts that right, the right to self-governance. It should the Bangsamoro people who would be speaking in behalf of themselves as well as the other inhabitants of the proposed Bangsamoro government,” said Iqbal.

“But in this one, it is not the usual way of formulating a preamble that the Filipino people are the ones speaking,” he added.

“Seemingly absent from the BOL were basic principles, asymmetric relationship, parity of esteem, principle of subsidiary,” Iqbal said.

The MILF peace panel chair also aired reservations on the absence of the delineation of powers, on the removal of the list of basic rights, on the observance of autonomy in police hubs and on territory and plebiscite.

Iqbal clarified that they were not pushing for an autonomous Bangsamoro police entity.

“It’s just a matter of observing that somehow it’s Bangsamoro area, Bangsamoro government; it’s an autonomous entity so municipal mayors and governors should have a say on the employment and deployment of police forces in their respective areas,” said Iqbal.

But despite his issues with the law, Iqbal admitted that “over and above,” the BOL is laudable for giving powers and access to resources to the Bangsamoro government that are currently not being enjoyed by the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.