Philippinefails: Martial Law: A New Era

For all the importance of the Bangsamoro Organic Law and what it is supposed to mean, an end to all war in Mindanao, and for all the necessity of making sure everyone in that region is fully aware of the BOL and supports it and for all of Duterte's insistence on the importance of having this law, it is singularly ridiculous that instead of having a press conference with the leaders of MILF and the ARMM present where he would sign the bill into law in front of the whole nation Duterte signed the bill into law apparently in the secret confines of his office declining to tell anyone except in an offhand remark in a speech he gave shortly after clandestinely singing the bill. Pressed by reporters for comment not even President Spokesman Roque could affirm or deny Duterte's remarks. But of course he later did verify it and thus the world was informed by text message that the Bangsomoro Organic Law, so essential to the future of Mindanao, is now the law of the land.

Perhaps if asked why Duterte did not have a press conference and make an event out of signing this very important bill into law we would be told that it is evidence of his simplicity and humility. He is a humble man of the people who disdains ostentation. That would be to miss the point completely. It's not as if he would be announcing the birth of a new child with his mistress, Honeylet. The BOL is supposed to usher in the birth of a new era of peace and prosperity for the whole country and for it to work everyone must be on board and fully aware of this law.

http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1015924/ceremonial-signing-of-bangsamoro-law-set-on-august-6

Duterte has already signed the legislation, but a ceremony would still be held at the Palace with Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) chief Murad Ebrahim and vice chairman Ghadzali Jaafar.

Better late than never. For the Muslims of Mindanao to see their leaders with Duterte as he signs the BOL into law would lend a real credibility to the law. As it is not everyone is on board with the BOL.

http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1012821/biff-warns-of-more-attacks-as-it-rejects-bangsamoro-organic-law

Abu Misri Mama, BIFF spokesman, said the bill, which would create the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), would not solve the decades-old problem but will only create more problems.

“It will not bring peace,” Mama said. “Look, until now fighting there is fighting on the ground. The law will only benefit the leaders and not the people on the ground.”

One would hate to side with terrorists on any issue but it cannot be denied that Mama is right. The BOL will only benefit the MILF leadership as they will receive a much larger block grant than they currently receive, 60-80 billion pesos, and they will be the men governing the region as mandated the law. With corruption rampant in the ARMM its a no-brainer the BOL will be much of the same. The MILF is also asking the international community to set up a trust fund to help decommission the MILF terrorist forces. It's all about money and power.

http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1014150/news-milf-bangsamoro-organic-law-al-haj-murad-ebrahim

Al Haj Murad Ebrahim, chairman of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, said six of the largest guerrilla camps in the south were already being converted into “productive civilian communities” to help the insurgents return to normal life.

Clad in a business suit, Murad appealed to the international community to contribute to a trust fund to be used to finance the insurgents’ transition from decades of waging one of Asia’s longest rebellions.

“We will decommission our forces, the entire forces,” Murad said at a news conference in Manila. He said his guerrilla group has told the government how many fighters it has, although he declined to immediately cite the number of weapons that “will be put beyond use.”

What country in their right mind would contribute to a trust fund to be used to help decommission a terrorist army? Will MILF deposit their weapons in a huge open area and publicly bulldoze them in a show of peaceful sincerity? Not a chance. With the threats from BIFF and Abu Sayyaf such an act would be madness.

http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/news/nation/661643/house-ratifies-bangsamoro-law-a-day-after-sona-gloria-takeover/story/

former Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) and Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) fighters will be free to join the police force;

This provision is also madness. Or maybe it's genius. What if MILF leadership directed all their men to join the PNP so that they could have complete control of the police?

Too much is riding on the passage of this law. The politicians are banking on this law being the catalyst for peace.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1042986

Even outsiders are banking on the BOL to bring peace to the region.

http://globalnation.inquirer.net/168695/un-welcomes-landmark-signing-bol-un-bangsamoro-bol-mindanao-duterte

“The Secretary-General welcomes the signing into law of the Organic Law for Bangsamoro in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao on 26 July, a landmark achievement on the road to lasting peace in southern Philippines,” the UN said in a statement.

http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1015043/eu-expresses-support-for-bangsamoro-organic-law

“The passage of the Bangsamoro Organic Law by the Congress of the Philippines and its subsequent signing by President Rodrigo Roa Duterte represents an opportunity for the Filipino people to embrace peace and stability after decades of strife,” Maja Kocijancic, spokesperson for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy said.

The Filipino people? This lady must not be aware that the BOL affects the Moro people who most definitely would reject being called Filipinos. In fact this new law is actually the culmination of the government's negations with MILF and with MILF only!

http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1015346/milf-to-reach-out-to-other-moro-fronts-to-support-bol

Ghadzali Jaafar, MILF vice chair for political affairs, said among the groups they planned to reach out included the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF), which was founded by Nur Misuari, and the outlawed Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF), which continues to wage war against the government.

“Even the outlawed Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF), we will reach out to them,” Jaafar said Saturday in radio interview.

The new law says 50 percent of the government officials in the new political entity under the BOL had to come from the MILF.

50% is only the bare minimum mandated in the new law but the real numbers will likely be higher. MILF has finally got a piece of the pie and all the other groups are left out in the cold to feed only on crumbs. Why shouldn't BIFF, MNLF, and Abu Sayyaf be given their own sweetheart deals?

https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/asia/milf-philippine-islamic-state-militants-mindanao-bol-asg-10566454

“If the Bangsamoro government is formed, it will be more difficult for pro-IS groups to carry out their violent activities because MILF will utilise their existing armed forces to go after them,” said Prof Rommel Banlaoi, chairman of the Philippine Institute for Peace, Violence and Terrorism Research.

MILF has publicly declared its opposition to IS, and last year started working with the Philippine military to fight pro-IS groups in Mindanao.

Prof Banlaoi however cautioned that threats to peace will remain after the MILF ends their struggle against the Philippine government.

"There are several threats: The BIFF in central Mindanao; the Abu Dar Group, composed of remnants of the pro-IS Maute group, in Lanao provinces; and the ASG in Zamboanga, Basilan, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi provinces," he said.

Most of the pro-IS groups are former members of MILF, the largest armed group in Mindanao with about 30,000 fighters.

"The real question is whether the MILF can stem defections from its ranks which have been taking place in the past three years," said Prof Abuza.

MILF’s chairman Al Haj Murad Ebrahim expressed confidence that foreign fighters, including Malaysians and Indonesians, could soon be forced out of their sanctuaries when BOL comes into force, reported BenarNews.

Murad believes the BOL will bring splinter groups back into the political fold, making it harder for foreign extremists to form alliances with them.

“All these splinter groups are a result of the frustration with the peace process. The moment the small groups no longer accept the foreign elements, they can no longer come to the Philippines,” Murad was quoted as saying.

According to Prof Abuza, MILF chairman Murad is correct "to a degree".

He said: “There is a push-pull factor. On the one hand, the IS central command has been encouraging Southeast Asian supporters to travel to Mindanao to fight.

“But if there are no longer groups who are willing to host them, it will be harder for them to really establish themselves there."

Prof Rommel cautioned that the BOL will not automatically stop the influx of foreign fighters.

"The BOL can even attract some foreign fighters to come to the southern Philippines to oppose what they perceive as 'co-opting with the infidels'," said Prof Banlaoi.

MILF’s biggest challenge now is to transition from a guerrilla army to a functioning government, said Prof Abuza.

“That is hard to do, and few rebel groups do it effectively or seamlessly," he said.

"The key is that resources have to quickly flow to them so they can pay people and assure their loyalty to the new autonomous government."

Probably this is the most level headed article about the passage of the BOL. Can peace and stability come? Maybe. But it will be difficult. Threats will still remain. But how will MILF use their existing forces to go after pro-ISIS groups when they say they will decommission their entire forces? The line about MILF transitioning from being a guerrilla army to a functioning government is spot on. MILF is a terrorist group through and through. They can don business suits and sit in the halls of government all they wish but at the end of the day they are terrorists plain and simple.

The BOL has been passed into law and there is nothing that can be done about it barring a Supreme Court decision overturning it or the people rejecting it in the planned plebiscite.

http://cnnphilippines.com/news/2018/07/27/MILF-consultative-assemble-preparation-Bangsamoro-Organic-Law.html

Jaafar said the referendum is expected to be held in November, and its results will be known within the same month or in December.

[Translation: At the end of the day, the decision of the majority will prevail because that is the rule in a democratic country. Having said that, I hope those who plan to petition to the Supreme Court will not push through with it. Let's help each other instead.]

Jaafar should welcome a Supreme Court challenge as either the law is unconstitutional and should therefore be nixed or it is constitutional and a positive ruling would permanently strengthen the law and silence its critics.

In the meantime it's business as usual in terrorist occupied Mindanao.