By Che de los Reyes
TWELVE SENATORS are bowing out of office in May 2016.
Six of them are ending their second terms and may not run for re-election in the next balloting. They may, of course, run again after a six-year rest from the Senate race, or make a bid for other elective positions.
Six others are running for re-election, including three from the administration Liberal Party, and three others from other political parties.
Before the Mamasapano incident of Jan. 25, 2015, there was the proposed Bangsamo Basic Law on which most of them said a mouthful, in largely joyous, celebratory tone.
Has the Mamasapano incident caused them a change of heart and mind on the BBL? Why and how so? Who has affirmed, revised, reversed, or retracted their views on the BBL?
Read on:
The six outgoing senators who may run for re-election in May 2016:
* Drilon, Franklin, Liberal Party, Senate president
Co-author of proposed Bangsmoro Basic law (SB 2408)
Drilon said that the Mamasapano clash “should not stand in the way of efforts to bring lasting and genuine peace and development in Mindanao.”
It was Drilon who recommended inviting the members of the 1986 Constitutional Commission (ConCom) to the hearings on the BBL to weigh in on its constitutionality.
After the Mamasapano incident, Drilon said the Senate might pass the bill in June instead of the original March target due to “time constraints.”
He also said that the Senate will make sure that the BBL that will be passed will be constitutional by examining and modifying provisions that are inconsistent with the Constitution.
• Recto, Ralph, Liberal Party
Co-author of proposed BBL (SB 2408)
In March 2014, Recto called on the executive branch to increase the preliminary P20.4-billion budget for ARMM in 2015, its last year before being replaced by the Bangsamoro autonomous regional government should the BBL be passed.
He said that a bigger ARMM budget would benefit the Bangsamoro as the latter’s allocation, once it is in place, may in no case be less than the last appropriation received by the ARMM.
A Feb. 23, 2015 press release by the Senate Press Relations and Information Office reported Recto as saying that there are “many shades of gray” in the BBL. This is why the Senate is proposing revisions to “mend the bill” so that “its chances of being approved by the people in the plebiscite to be called for its ratification” will be improved, Recto said.
“First thing they should do is to drop the ‘we-are-infallible’ stance,” he added.
Among the provisions that Recto said he finds contentious are:
- The 60-member Bangsamoro parliament, which he said can be trimmed down to 40.
- The powers of the Bangsamoro Police, whose authority, he said, “should be sharply defined.”
- The creation of the Philippine Congress-Bangsamoro Parliament Forum. He questions the need for a “superbody” to harmonize legislation affecting the region.
- The “affirmative action and appointment quota provisions,” which mandates a representative from Bangsamoro to sit as justice in the Supreme Court.
- The “financing the peace” provision, which makes the BBL “basically an appropriations bill.” He questions the automatic appropriation of the “block grant,” adding that the obligations bind “the national government, and ultimately taxpayers, to allocate large sums of money every year.”
• Guingona, Teofisto “TG” III, Liberal Party
Co-author of proposed BBL (SB 2408)
Chairs the Senate Committee on Peace, Unification, and Reconciliation, one of two secondary committees under which the bill is filed.
On Jan. 28,2015, three days after the Mamasapano incident, Guingona filed Senate Resolution No. 1136, which seeks an investigation into the incident “in order to avoid distractions from the peace process and prevent the indiscriminate and wholesale condemnation of the people of Mindanao for the actions of a few violent persons.”
He said he was not withdrawing support for the BBL and said he hoped that the incident would not delay the passage of said law.
• Osmena, Sergio III, Independent
Not a co-author of the BBL.
No substantive statement on BBL yielded by search as of March 5, 2015
• Sotto, Vicente Tito III, Nationalist People’s Coalition
Co-author of proposed BBL (SB 2408). No substantive statement on BBL yielded by search as of March 5, 2015.
• Marcos, Ferdinand “Bongbong” Jr., Nacionalista Party
Chairs the Senate Committee on Local Government, the principal committee where SB 2408 is filed.
Following the Mamasapano clash, Marcos suspended “indefinitely” the hearings on the bill that were scheduled in Zamboanga and Jolo in the last week of January. Marcos was quoted in a Jan. 26 report by Rappler as saying, “We cannot in conscience, proceed with these hearings while a cloud of serious doubt hangs over the security situation in the south. A peace agreement cannot be legislated under the threat of such extreme violence. Violence has no room in a civilized society.”
In a Feb. 19, 2015 press release by the Senate Press Relations and Information Bureau (PRIB), Marcos explained that the suspension of the hearings on BBL under the Committee on Local Government, which he chairs, was “until we find out the truth behind the Mamasapano massacre.”He said that Congress is not just a “rubber stamp” for the BBL and that making changes and introducing amendments to the BBL is “the best way to make a more robust and effective law.” He added, “we will strive to pass the best BBL possible so that we would achieve a true and lasting peace in Muslim Mindanao.”
In a Feb. 20, 2015 press release by PRIB, Marcos explained that the hearings on the BBL were suspended because both the Lower House and the Senate will not be able to discuss the proposal thoroughly without looking carefully into what happened in Mamasapano.
He also said that the President needs to tell the investigating panel exactly what his role was in Oplan Exodus, and if his explanation is “credible,” the panel “can conclude our investigation” and that will “enable us to make the necessary corrections in the BBL,” he added.
The six outgoing senators who may not run for re-election to the Senate in May 2016:
* Cayetano, Pia, Nacionalista PartyCo-author of proposed BBL (SB 2408).
Cayetano said that while she respected the peace process, things must not be brushed aside because of the government push for the approval of the draft Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL),
“We’re basically saying that, ‘None of these things matter except the signing of the BBL’,” she said. “That is the message that many of us hear, that many of those in the public hear. And that is not the right message. Yes, peace should be pursued at all cost. But what will the process be?”
During the Senate inquiry on the Mamasapano clash, Cayetano said she felt disrespected by the refusal of the MILF leaders to appear before the body. She said, “This is the Republic of the Philippines, not the Republic of MILF. So the timelines are set by this committee and that is why I feel that for MILF chair Murad Ebrahim to come when they deem it convenient for them is already a disrespect for this committee.”
She also protested against the MILF’s request to appear before an executive session, and on the protracted decision of the MILF to return the slain SAF trooper’s equipment.
• Defensor-Santiago, Miriam, People’s Reform Party
Chair of the Senate Committee on Constitutional Amendments and Revision of Codes, one of two secondary committees where the BBL is filed (the other one is the Committee on Peace, Unification, and Reconciliation)
Santiago was the first senator who called the BBL “unconstitutional.” Despite this, however, she continued to conduct committee hearings on the constitutionality of the BBL, even though Sen. Marcos had suspended hearings at the Committee on Local Government, the primary committee where the bill is filed.
Santiago said that she believes discussions on the proposed law should continue despite the Mamasapano clash. A Jan. 26 report by Rappler quoted her as saying that suspending hearings would be counterproductive but warned against making the clash as an excuse to fast-track the measure.
“What was the real cause of that firefight?” she asked. “Others say it’s lack of coordination. Others surmise it was a fight over the cash reward. We don’t know what happened there. So, in fact, hearings should continue with even more vigor.”
After the Senate inquiry proceedings on the Mamasapano clash, however, Santiago said that her attitude on the BBL has “changed almost completely.”
According to a Feb. 12 report by Rappler, Santiago believes the continuous insistence of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) that they did not coddle wanted terrorist Zulkifli bin Hir, better known as Marwan, and Abdulbasit Usman was a sign of bad faith on the part of the group.
The report also quoted Santiago as saying, “What is proved to me by these hearings is the lack of sincerity of the MILF in shooting down our men. Possibly with the [Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters], together, they shot down 44 Filipinos, who are all dead now. So how can you possibly deal with a negotiation partner who accepts perfidy as a mode of conduct? And I’m sure I’m not alone in taking this evolution of attitude. I’m sure many senators think the way I do.
* Enrile, Juan Ponce, Pwersa ng Masang Pilipino
Not a co-author of the proposed BBL.
Search yielded no recent statements made by Enrile on the BBL but in a 2012 interview, he said that the BBL should be given a chance and that it could be a good model for a parliamentary system in the country. He also said there is no need to amend the Constitution to create a Bangsamoro region.
• Ejercito-Estrada, Jinggoy, Pwersa ng Masang Pilipino
Not a co-author of the proposed BBL Said he wanted to attend the Senate inquiry on Mamasapano clash.
A day after the clash, Estrada filed Senate Resolution 1134 asking the committees on public order and dangerous drugs; peace, unification, and reconciliation; and local government, to investigate the matter. The senator said the incident should lead to “intensive assessment and effective reforms in law enforcement so that the death of these policemen will not be in vain.”
• Lapid, Manuel “Lito”, Lakas-Kabalikat ng Malayang Pilipino- Christian Muslim Democrats
Not a co-author of the proposed BBL.
Search yielded no substantive statement on BBL, although Lapid filed Senate Resolution 1149, honoring the SAF’s Fallen 44.
* Revilla, Ramon Bong Jr., Lakas-Kabalikat ng Malayang Pilipino-Christian Muslim Democrats
Not a co-author of the proposed BBL.
Search yielded no substantive statement on BBL, although Revilla filed Senate Resolution 1148, honoring the SAF’s Fallen 44. - PCIJ, March 2015