MANILA, Philippines – As youth groups and organizations lauded the lower House for its swift approval of the Basic Law of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region at the committee level, they urged the Senate to do the same before session adjourns next month.
“The time to correct historical injustices and generations upon generations of deprived opportunities has come,” Akbayan Youth Vice Chairperson for Mindanao James Alih said.
Alih said that Akbayan Youth supports the BBL because it is a law “for those who yearn for a better Mindanao, for those who have unjustly suffered the consequences of war, for those who have lost, and for the generations to come who deserve better.”
“The youth has been silent witnesses of the atrocities of war, the decades of injustices and the proliferation of prejudices. But more than victims and spectators, we now claim our stake in the peace process as active stakeholders,” he added.
Fifty representatives from the House Ad Hoc Committee last week voted in favor of the BBL against 17 objections and one abstention. The House committees on appropriations and ways and means also approved the draft bill on May 26 for submission to the plenary.
Generation Peace (GenPeace) Youth Network commended the lawmakers for their efforts, saying the committee-level approval in the House of Representatives is a triumph for peace.
“We congratulate the peace champions in Congress for this victory at the committee level. This is a win for peace in the areas that need it most,” GenPeace leader Beverly Orozco said.
Orozco expressed that they will remain steadfast in their call for peace, saying it is a fight for future generations of Moros, Lumads and Christians in the Bangsamoro.
Youth hopes for peace rests with Congress
Bai Rohaniza Sumndad-Usman of Teach Peace Build Peace (TPBP) Movement and member of the National Peace Council said that passing the BBL will “give the young generation (of the Bangsamoro) hope for they have suffered enough.”
“We strongly believe that the Bangsamoro Basic Law can start us on the path that can bring lasting peace to Mindanao and the country. The BBL is not the silver bullet that will solve all our problems, but we cannot even begin to solve any of those problems without this peace. It is an excellent starting point,” she remarked.
Usman said that building a good future with peace and progress starts with Congress. “It may not be perfect, but it is still the best chance that we have for a future with lasting peace,” she said.
Usman is also the chair of the Young Moro Professionals Network (YMPN) which has been a staunch supporter of the Bangsamoro right to self-determination, religious tolerance, and peace education.
“Passage of the BBL is our best chance to achieve peace in Mindanao. We urge our lawmakers to do their monumental role as provided by the Constitution to enact genuine autonomy in the south. While the BBL is a proposed law drafted by Bangsamoro leaders, our lawmakers are not merely rubber stamps to BBL, but rather it is in their hands to realize justice and peace to the Bangsamoro people through the BBL,” she quoted a YMPN statement.
Youth groups to solons: Pass BBL now
