Senator Joel Villanueva. PHOTO FROM JOEL VILLANUEVA FACEBOOK PAGE
The congressional bicameral conference committee has agreed to adopt a provision that would allow the promotion of freedom of religion in the proposed Bangsamoro government, Senator Joel Villanueva said on Tuesday.
Villanueva, member of the Senate contingent in the bicam, said the panels from the Senate and House of Representatives in the bicam 鈥渁greed to adopt鈥� the provision that he proposed.
The provision 鈥渟tipulating the promotion of religious freedom by the Bangsamoro government,鈥� he said, was contained in the Senate version of BBL but not in the House version.
The senator underscored the importance of the provision as 鈥渞eligion plays a big role in shaping the beliefs, backgrounds, and acts of the people living in the area.鈥�
鈥淭his is not to mention the fact that the region is multicultural. We have Islam, Christianity, and the dozens of indigenous beliefs in the area,鈥� he said in a statement.
Villanueva said the exercise of freedom of religion must also extend to establishments.
鈥淎part from the mandate protecting people persecuted on account of religion, we also want to ensure that the free exercise extends to establishments that wish to express a certain faith, subject to the rights, privileges, and restrictions granted by law,鈥� he added.
During the bicameral conference, the senator pushed for the full guarantee and exposition of religious belief and creed in the Bangsamoro territory regardless of denomination, membership or affiliation.
The Bangsamoro people, he said, should be protected from harassment or any undue pressure, coercion and violence on account of religion.
鈥淲e need to be mindful of the fact that people are harassed or subjected to violence because of their choice of beliefs in certain areas of the country,鈥� Villanueva said.
鈥淕iven my concerns, what is the strongest guarantee we can extract from the regional government that it will be proactive in protecting this freedom?鈥� asked the senator.
Congress is expected to ratify its final version of the BBL when it opens the third and last regular session of the 17th Congress on July 23. Carol Balita / 黑料社 intern / jpv
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