Congress Wednesday failed to pass the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL), a key component of the peace deal signed by the Aquino government with the separatist Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) aimed at creating a new Muslim autonomous region in Mindanao, igniting fears of fresh violence.
President Benigno Aquino had lobbied hard for the passage of the bill, but was unable to muster enough support in the House even to secure a vote Wednesday, the final session day before Congress adjourns for the election campaign.
Failure to pass the bill means it cannot be passed under Mr. Aquino, whose six-year term ends in June, with no certainty over whether his successor will even pursue a peace deal.
Asked if the failure to pass the bill could spark violence, chief government negotiator Miriam Coronel-Ferrer told Agence France-Presse: 鈥淭hat鈥檚 the danger. That鈥檚 why we are taking steps, calling for sobriety.鈥�
鈥淭his delays the final settlement,鈥� said Teresita Deles, the presidential peace adviser. 鈥淭here will be elements that will completely lose hope that this can really be done,鈥� she said.
Ferrer said hard-line Muslim rebel groups like the聽 Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters, which opposed peace talks and vowed to continue fighting for a separate Muslim homeland in the south, could exploit the setback.
鈥淭hey will be emboldened to renew their course in the hope that they will harvest the discontent,鈥� Ferrer said.
Ferrer blamed the 鈥渟heer indifference and chronic absenteeism鈥� of a number of House members for the failure to pass the BBL.
鈥淚t is only expected that the Filipino people, especially those in the Bangsamoro, who had pinned high hopes on this new law are grieving, hurting and once again, dreading what tomorrow may bring,鈥� she said.
Chief MILF negotiator
Mohagher Iqbal said the rebel leadership was working hard to avoid a repeat, and vowed to continue working for peace with Mr. Aquino鈥檚 successor.
He told ABS-CBN television there could be a feeling of 鈥渞epression鈥� within the MILF ranks, but the leadership was countering with 鈥渕assive engagement.鈥�
鈥淲e just explain to them that here lies the problem in the peace process. We will never cease engaging in the peace process,鈥� he said.
Iqbal said the peace negotiators on both sides have set an emergency meeting to discuss what the next move should be.
He said the聽 two panels would come out with a joint declaration in the light of the new development.
Iqbal did not say when the meeting would take place. He said the emergency meeting would not usher in a new round of聽 negotiations.
Meanwhile, an MILF leader Wednesday said the reported tension between government troops and MILF forces in Lanao del Norte province has been defused and聽 the situation was now back to normal.
Toks Ibrahim, the head of the MILF鈥檚 normalization secretariat, said in a phone interview that the tension subsided when the MILF commander Abdullah聽 Macapaar, also known as Bravo, agreed to pull out of Kauswagan town, following negotiations.
Ibrahim said the tension started on Monday when Macapaar wanted to visit his old camp in Kauswagan after attending an event in connection with the normalization process. The event was properly coordinated with the government but not Bravo鈥檚 visit.
Because the planned visit was not coordinated, soldiers from the 15th聽 Infantry Battalion and 2nd Mechanized Brigade based in Kauswagan positioned聽 themselves on Macapaar鈥檚 route in Barangay Delabayan.
Von Al Haq, the MILF spokesperson, said members of the MILF鈥檚 ceasefire聽 committee talked with Macapaar and made him understand that he had to back out until coordination for his planned visit was made.
Fears about renewed attacks by the Macapaar group largely fueled the tense situation in Kauswagan as his presence in the town came after Congress failed to pass the BBL.
MILF leaders said this was not the case, insisting that Macapaar just wanted to visit his village.
Meanwhile, Senate President Franklin Drilon said 鈥測es and no鈥� when he was asked whether the failure to pass the BBL would affect the President鈥檚 legacy.
鈥淵es, in the sense that he was not able to complete the structure. No, in the sense that he was able to come up with the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro, which, by the way, can be pursued,鈥� he said.
It was 鈥渘ot as if the peace process died with the President,鈥� Drilon said.
鈥淗e has set the framework, we have the Comprehensive Framework on the Bangsamoro, there are the steps that outline one of them being the passage of the Bangsamoro Basic Law, the change in the form of government to fit the Muslim region,鈥� he said.
He said the BBL bill can be refiled and urged the next President to be elected in May to push for its passage.
鈥淚t can be refiled and all the experts鈥� opinion, all the testimonies of the resource persons, need not be taken again, it can incorporated in the present law,鈥� Drilon said. AFP and AP, with Jeoffrey Maitem, Inquirer Mindanao; and Jerry Esplanada and Jonathan Leonor, Metro Manila