BBL to help Mindanao catch up with rest of PHL, says MILF’s Jaafar

Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) vice chairman Ghadzali Jaafar on Tuesday  appealed to "peace-loving Filipinos" to give the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) a chance, saying it will help Mindanao catch up with the rest of the country.

"I think we are lagging behind you for more than 50 years, and so I think we must appeal to all of you and to all peace-loving Filipinos na bigyan na ngayon ng pagkakataon ang mga Moro, ang mga Muslim, para naman kahit papano, makahabol po in terms of progress and development," Jaafar said during the presentation of the draft BBL to the committee reviewing the 1987 Constitution.

Jaafar, who chairs the Bangsamoro Transition Commission (BTC) that drafted the proposed law, believes passing the BBL will help curb many of Mindanao's ills, including corruption and nepotism.

"We are fed up. Ayaw na namin sa korapsyon, ayaw na namin sa nepotism, ayaw na namin sa lahat ng mga bagay na sa paniniwala namin [ay] nagiging dahilan kung bakit hindi umuunlad ang lugar ng mga Muslim," he said.

Jaafar said the BBL would "solve the issue in Mindanao" and would be "an instrument for the return of peace" in the troubled region.

'Genuine autonomy'

During the meeting, BTC commissioner Raisa Jajurie said there must be an assurance that the Bangsamoro people will be given "genuine automony" once the BBL is passed.

"We need to ensure there is genuine autonomy and not only administrative autonomy but real political and fiscal autonomy," Jajurie said.

"The Bangsamoro can exercise powers with the least intervention coming from the central government. Eventually, this arrangement will be able to address the Bangsamoro questions," she added.

Jajurie said under the provisions of the BBL, there is a list of powers that will be exercised by the central government all over the Philippines and exclusive powers by the Bangsamoro government within its territory.

She also said there would be "concurrent powers" which will be shared.

The passage of the BBL is one of the priorities of the Duterte administration. —KBK, GMA News