Why Is Bangsamoro Basic Law Important

This is important because it challenges the general public perception that Aboriginal women are housewives confined to household chores. Indigenous women are actively participating in the ongoing peace negotiations between the GPH-MILF, in particular in the drafting of the new Basic Law. We have issued organizational statements, participated in public hearings and stated our position during consultations on the Basic Law. We submitted our proposals for consideration during the drafting of the Basic Law of Bangsamoro. While these concerns are important to monitor and ensure security and equality under the new law, the adoption of the BBL as a whole is absolutely necessary for the region. Growth and development would not be possible without peace, which could not be achieved without active debate and cooperation with a population whose views had been ignored or actively targeted in the past. The main concerns now lie in the timing of the adoption of the BBL and the possibility that certain aspects will be deemed unconstitutional and limit the options available before amendments can be made to the Constitution. Fifth, senior leaders of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) oppose the Bangsamoro Basic Law. The MNLF is one of the two main Muslim-led rebel groups in Mindanao; However, only the MILF is involved in the BBL`s talks with the MNLF. The chairman of the MNLF`s Islamic Command Council (ICC), Habib Mujahab Hajim, said that «the BBL is the product of a conspiracy» between the Philippine government and the MILF (Moro Islamic Liberation Front). He said it violated the 1996 final peace agreement and the 1996 Tripoli agreement, which secured autonomy for a Muslim Mindanao. The MILF and MNLF occupy the same territory. So there is now a conflict of governance and a conflict of territory.

It is seen as a way to redress decades of discrimination and injustice against the Moro people and as an antidote to violent extremism, because once adopted and implemented, it will eliminate all the doubts and suspicions that accompanied previous unsuccessful peace efforts. Palapa, a culturally important spicy spice of the Maranao people The creation of Bangsamoro was the culmination of several years of peace talks between the Philippine government and several autonomist groups; in particular, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), which rejected the validity of the ARMM and called for the creation of a region with more powers delegated by the national government. A framework agreement known as the Bangsamoro Global Agreement was negotiated between the Benigno Aquino III administration and the MILF in 2014. After continuous negotiations and debate on certain provisions, the Congress of the Philippines created and ratified a Basic Law for the region, now called the Bangsamoro Organic Law. The law was signed into law by President Rodrigo Duterte on July 26, 2018. Despite the question of the constitutionality of the region, given that it would have adopted a parliamentary system in a region of a country with a presidential system of government, no judicial decision was taken against the organic law, and therefore COMELEC held a plebiscite in two parts: one of the citizens of the ARMM who decided whether the ARMM should be dissolved and immediately replaced by the Bangsamoro, and after the victory of the yes vote on the first part[7][8][9] and the second part, which the neighboring municipalities and barangays of the provinces of Lanao del Norte and Cotabato took regarding their cession to the Bangsamoro region. [10] [11] [12] [13] Following the second part of the plebiscite, 63 barangays from Cotabato province were handed over to the Bangsamoro government, expanding the territory of the autonomous region. [14] [10] But peace is not only the absence of war or conflict. For Indigenous women like me, peace is a matter of kefiyo fédéw (feeling of peace). This can only be achieved in Bangsamoro in the future if all our basic needs such as food, shelter, security and recognition are met.

We must preserve the fundamental right to our identity and territory. It is our inherent right at birth. This is non-negotiable. The East Asia Forum welcomes comments, both to deepen the analysis and to address important new issues. Original feedback that provides insights and contributes to analysis is particularly appreciated. Indigenous women play an important role in our traditional governance. We are responsible for conflict resolution, performing rituals and acting as midwives when other Aboriginal women give birth. Once established, the Bangsamoro government would be at the forefront of maintaining public order and security, exercising justice within the limits of the law, and providing basic preconditions for a good life to which Muslims are entitled. Duterte, although a Christian, is the first president to hail from Mindanao, the central region affected by these acts. In this capacity, he is personally committed to the situation in the region. These talks, and ultimately the proposed autonomy concessions, are crucial both for security in the region and for its development.

The Muslim population was constantly marginalized and oppressed under two colonial regimes and an independent government, with Christian families settled in the area and receiving land and jobs, while Muslims faced high rates of unemployment and poverty. These factors have led to numerous insurgency groups and, more recently, radicalization tendencies. These realities can no longer be ignored. The Bangsamoro Transition Commission was formally tasked with drafting the new Basic Law of Bangsamoro on 6 March 2017. BTC Commissioners signed the Basic Law on 16 June 2017 and submitted it to the President and Congress. The BARMM, which replaces the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), was amended with the ratification of its Basic Law, the Bangsamoro Organic Law, following a legally binding two-part referendum in western Mindanao on September 21. January and 6 February 2019. The ratification was confirmed a few days later, on 25 January, by the Electoral Commission (COMELEC). Despite our important traditional role, cultures within the Aboriginal community continue to harm and disadvantage women. Not surprisingly, young Aboriginal women are forced to marry six times as many men in arranged marriages. Rape is considered a common case, limited to the expertise of tribal leaders and settled amicably. Even worse, rape victims are sometimes forced to marry the abuser because in our culture, rape is a form of marriage.

Cases of incest rape are common. With the rise of alcoholism among indigenous peoples, physical and sexual abuse is increasing.