Ratification of Bangsamoro law ushers “ray of hope” to war-torn Mindanao areas ? Palace
Malacanang said the ratification of Bangsamoro Organic Law signals a “ray of hope” to the soon to be Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.
“The sovereign voice of the participating voters in the just concluded plebiscite has spoken, ushering a ray of hope to that war weary, poverty stricken, long neglected and much heralded promised land of the fifties,” Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo said in a statement.
Now that the BOL is officially ratified, he said, “it behooves the discordant voices to yield to the rule of the majority”.
The BARMM will be in place as soon as President Rodrigo Duterte constitutes the 80-member Bangsamoro Transition Authority that will oversee its interim government.
This is unless the Supreme Court rules in favor of the present petition questioning the constitutionality of the BOL.
“The ruling however remains in the realm of imponderables. We cannot be waylaid in the meanwhile in the race to peace and progress,” Panelo said.
“The quest to lasting peace in that region saw not only the bloody encounters among the Muslim combatants but spawned more conflicts as well, giving birth to more armed groups and violent hostilities to the sufferance of the Bangsamoro people and the Christian inhabitants,” he added.
Panelo said Duterte hopes that the ratification of the BOL will commence the process of correcting the historical injustices committed against the Bangsamoro people.
He said all the stakeholders must join their hands in unity and harmony to craft an autonomous government that will be responsive to the needs of the Bangsamoro people and other citizens within the jurisdiction of BARMM.
“We urge the people in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao to give their new leaders their support and cooperation but at the same we implore them to be vigilant and assertive of their rights,” he said.
He also called on the mandated leaders to be “fealty” to their oaths of office.
Last January 25, the Commission on Elections, sitting as the National Plebiscite Board of Canvassers, declared that the "yes" votes won, which means that the BOL has been approved by the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM).
According to the canvassing proceedings of the NPBOC, the 1,540,017 votes received by "yes" were able to overwhelm the 198,750 votes for "no" from the ARMM.
The "yes" votes also won in Cotabato City, which rejected at least twice its inclusion in the ARMM in the past. ARMM's seat of power is located in Cotabato City.
In Isabela City in Basilan, the "no" votes prevailed, meaning it will not included in the BARMM.
“We look forward to another orderly plebiscite in the provinces of Lanao del Norte and North Cotabato on February 6 even as we await with enthusiasm a favourable result,” said Panelo.
The plebiscite to ratify BOL in Lanao del Norte and North Cotabato will be held on February 6. Ella Dionisio/DMS
