01 September 2015 – The Philippine Consulate General, in partnership with the New York chapter of the Knights of Rizal hosted a forum on the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) with former Chief Justice Hilario G. Davide, Jr. at the Kalayaan Hall of the Philippine Center last August 20.

In his welcome remarks, Philippine Consul General Mario L. De Leon Jr. mentioned that the BBL tackles not just “long lasting peace in Mindanao, but the overarching need for self-determination of our brothers and sisters” in the area. The Consul General also expressed that the passage of a comprehensive law benefitting Mindanao is “a matter of national policy, therefore a matter of national concern” for all Filipinos, in and out of the Philippines.

Chief Justice Davide, as the Lead Convenor of the Citizen’s Peace Council on the BBL, made a presentation entitled “The BBL: Cornerstone of Justice, Peace and Development in Mindanao”. In his presentation, he enunciated why he was advocating for the support of the proposed act, saying that it was high time that the legislature passed a law that would be truly beneficial to Mindanao. For too a long time, the former Chief Justice said, Mindanao has been called ‘The Land of Promise’ and he is of the view that it is time to turn that promise into a reality.

He assured the crowd that the government, in crafting the proposed law, had no intention of turning Mindanao into a separate state. He stated that the intrinsic powers of the government over foreign affairs, national security, national legislation, overall administration and the armed forces still remained with the Philippines’ central government, thus keeping the Philippines together.

The presentation was met with loud applause from the large audience, composed of members of the Filipino community as well as individuals with a keen interest in Philippine affairs.

An open forum followed the presentation, with the Consul General moderating the discussion. On hand to act as reactors were Potri Ranka Manis, from Lanao del Sur and a founder of the Kinding Sindaw Melayu heritage group, as well as Mr. Emerito Salud, a lawyer representing the National Federation of Filipino-American Associations. The lively exchange centered around what apparently was the misapprehension by most of the audience about the extent of the autonomy to be granted to the Bangsamoro area, and the fear of a state-within-a-state. Many expressed support for the creation of a region where the residents could determine their own path, free from what they believe to be the dictates of a hostile government. The issue of the fate of the indigenous people in the affected areas of Mindanao, particularly the Lumads, was also raised.

The audience expressed appreciation for the public forum, and many voiced their wish that further discussions could be held, in order to let more people know of the intricacies and implications of the proposed bill.

This is the second public forum to be organized by Philippine Consulate in New York on the BBL after Professor Miriam Coronel-Ferrer, Chair of the Government Peace Panel, made a presentation to the Filipino community on April 24. END