BAGUIO CITY – The leader of the independent minority block in the House of Representatives said the passage of the controversial Palace version of the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) will allow Malaysia to introduce in the country’s sovereignty by possibly taking over Maguindanao apart from Sabah which it forcibly took from the Sultanate of Sulu.
Leyte 1st district Rep. Ferdinand Martin Romualdez disclosed the BBL has been actually worded similar to the wordings of the Constitution of Malaysia because most of those who prepared the BBL were Malaysian scholars that is why part of the strategy to gain access to the country’s rich resources is through the BBL.
“We cannot image the Malaysian Prime Minister to fly in the country to witness the signing of the BBL even if his country was encountering problems relative to the missing Malaysian commercial aircraft at that time. Common sense dictates that a leader of a country should stay with his people during times of crisis,” Romualdez stressed.
He revealed that over 50 years ago, leaders of Southeast Asian nations were adamant over the expansionist attitude of former President Ferdinand E. Marcos that is why the country was able to have control over Sabah.
Ironically, when former President Corazon C. Aquino, the President’s mother took over, followed by other administrations, the country’s claim over Sabah weakened even with the payment of rentals to the Sultanate of Sulu among other considerations.
According to him, Malaysian authorities want the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) to have control of most portions of Mindanao through the BBL so that it would be easier for the foreign national to influence the affairs of the independent state with the Philippine state to allow it to exploit the region’s rich resources.
According to him, the Aquino administration is obviously losing track on how to achieve lasting peace in Mindanao because Palace officials and their allies in the House continue to be blinded over the obvious motive of Malaysia to intrude into the country’s affairs and cart away the region’s rich resources that should be for the Filipinos.
Ronualdez cited the independent minority block will not just close their eyes when the BBL will be submitted to the plenary for debates and amendments because passing an obviously unconstitutional runs counter to the real purpose of achieving lasting peace in Mindanao.
He argued peace in Mindanao cannot be achieved if government continues to negotiate with selected groups instead of gathering all armed groups and talk about peace initiatives and how to holisticall6y approach the problem for the benefit of the p4resent and future generations of Filipinos.
Romualdez claimed while the BBL will be smoothly passed in the House, he is optimistic that their counterparts in the Senate will be able to workout the introduction of appropriate amendments in the priority administration measure so that the country’s independence and territorial integrity will not be jeopardized in favour of the interest of our neighboring countries.
He said the independent minority block understands the predicament to their fellow lawmakers in the majority whose hands are tied because of certain conditions imposed by the Palace on them but reminded them that they should act pursuant to their conscience and what would be the best for the Filipinos. By Dexter A. See
