The
dynamics of autonomy and federal statehood
Two
political events to watch as these affect the dynamism of our society. One is
the passage of the Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL), the final version of the
Bangsamoro Basic Law, that would create the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in
Muslim Mindanao. The other is charter change pushing for a federal form of government
from the current unitary one.
The plebiscite for the BAR, a parliamentary-democratic
system, could be set sometime in November or December if ratified by both
chambers of the Congress and approved by the President. Cotabato City will join
in this plebiscite whether or not it be part of the new regional geo-political
set-up.
Nevertheless,
if people would ratify federalism in another plesbiscite, though majority in a
survey negate the federal statehood, our city will form part of the Bangsamoro
federated state in Mindanao.
The draft federal constitution has been
submitted by the Consultative Committee to the President and the Senate, the
latter already conducting a debate on the proposed provisions. There is a move
among Senators not to hasten charter change to give way first on the dynamism
of the BAR, which would be another political experiment to function similar to
a federal state with more political and economic empowerment, one that is
perceived to stave off further conflict in the autonomous region. The BOL is a
product of the long stages of peace negotiations between the Moro Islamic
Liberation Front and the national government with so many stakeholders involved
in the transition --- Muslims, Christians, and Indigenous People. Even
foreign-donor countries form part of the stakeholders in pushing for long
lasting and sustainable peace and development in the region.
It is expected, though, that the BOL
will be questioned before the Supreme court as to its constitutionality. We
don’t know yet who will file a protest against the BOL. If it passes the
scrutiny of the High Court, it will not be a short period to measure the functionality
of the BAR. Will this bring about the desired peace? There is a need for
disarmament of armed groups to realize tranquility and reduce conflict. How
will it utilize the block grant to finance its programs and projects? With the
rich natural resources, how will it make use of these to sustain its existence
and be free from national dependency? Really, it would take years to test and
witness the efficacy of the new political set-up which is yet to be born to
replace the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.
We cannot just cross our fingers on this
regional development as we are partakers of this governance. We are directly a
witness to change. Politics is a dynamic phenomenon, we are part of it, we
cannot remain passive. Let’s see how the birth of the BARwill
work for us… and then the federal statehood once people would ratify charter
change. Such change(s) would either end up desirable or undesirable depending
on the workability and adaptability of the new system.
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