MANILA – President Rodrigo Duterte wants Moro National Liberation Front founding chair Nur Misuari to participate in discussions on the proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL).
“Intransigence” on the part of the MNLF leader “will result in war,” Duterte warned in a speech at the SMX Convention Center in Davao City.
“We will try to pass the BBL,” he said on Saturday. “I hope Chairman Misuari can be convinced to join the talks so that if there are corrections or maybe additions or provisions that would not sit well with Tausug and the rest of the southern part of Mindanao, then maybe we can realize altogether the friction.”
“Pero kung sabihan mo na, if you do not think about it, if you kind of adopt intransigence behavior, magpatigasan, it will result in war,” the President said.
“Kindly, if you want, do not do it on my term. ’Pag di tayo magka-aregulan, ako nasa gitna, mahirapan ako. Sino’ng barilin ko? Sundalo ng republika or sundalo ng MI (Moro Islamic) pati MN (Moro National)?” he added.
Duterte again promised to pass the measure creating the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region “without any cuts” but sought for more time “if nothing really works out dito sa BBL.”
“We will try to pass the BBL with no cuts. I’m sure (House) Speaker (Pantaleon Alvarez) will agree with me,” said the President.
On May 29 Duterte certified the proposed BBL as urgent, allowing Congress to pass their respective BBL bills on second and third readings before the two Houses adjourned on May 31.
In his speech, Duterte also stressed that federalism along with BBL would spur growth and bring peace in Mindanao.
“The time for federalism has come to our country,” he said. “We have to move away from the style of unitary form of government, which has been in existence or set up originally by the Spaniards.”/PN
