Long wait is over, finally President Duterte signs Bangsamoro law

President Rodrigo Roa Duterte raises his fist signature gesture before the audience during a speech at the 69th Araw ng Ipil in Zamboanga Sibugay on Thursday July 26, 2018.

The long wait for the signing of Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL) which aims to bring peace and development in the Philippines' predominantly Muslim south is finally over.

President Rodrigo Duterte on Thursday, July 26, 2018, signed the Bangsamoro Organic Law that will replace the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) and creating instead a Bangsamoro Autonomous Region (BAR) with more powers.

Bangsamoro law is one of the requirements under a 2014 peace agreement between Philippine government and the MILF. It is the result of decades-long peace negotiations between the government and the country's largest Moro rebel group in Mindanao.

"The BBL has been signed, but I’m still going back because I have a ceremony with Jaafar (Moro Islamic Liberation Front vice chairman Ghadzali Jaafar) and Murad (MILF chief Murad Ebrahim). Also, I would like to talk to [MNLF founding chairman] Nur [Misuari] so that we can have it by the end of the year. I can create also an autonomy for him if that’s what he wants, and pending the federal system implementation he can just wait for it if he trusts me," Duterte said in his speech during the celebration of 69th Araw ng Ipil in Zamboanga Sibugay.

The President was supposed to sign the BOL during his 3rd State of the Nation Address (SONA) last July 23, however, the plan did not happen after the debacle at the House of Representatives, where the session was suspended without ratifying the bicam report on BOL  and pushing through with the ouster of Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez and installation of former president, now Pampanga 2nd District representative Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

Both Senate and the Lower House had originally planned to ratify the Bangsamoro law during their morning sessions so Duterte can sign it into law before delivering his SONA. The Senate already ratified the measure during its morning session.

A day after the standoff between Alvarez and Macapagal-Arroyo for the House speakership, the lawmakers ratified the BOL with no objections before the afternoon session on Tuesday, July 24, was suspended.

The newly installed house speaker vowed to carry out the legislative agenda of Presiden Duterte.

Commenting on the House ratification of BOL, MILF Vice Chairman for Political Affairs Ghazali Jaafar, who also chairs the Bangsamoro Transition Commission, told reporters in Manila that he is very happy.

"I'm sure our people are very much happy, jubilant. This is an historic event of the Moro peopl. I think our people will approve the ratified Bangsamoro Organic Law and eventually to be signed by our beloved President.

So far this will be our selling point to the youth and after the plebiscite we will reach out to our brothers in the field and convince them to join us and support the Bangsamoro government...the coming in of this Bangsamoro government would mean the coming in of a just and dignified peace in our place," said Jaafar.

Meanwhile, in its editorial posted on luwaran.com, the MILF wrote that in consequence, many people almost lost hope, others were already jittery, especially those in the provinces in Mindanao.

"They waited in baited breadth whether or not the House would ever ratify it. Playing in their mind was the ghost of the Memorandum of Agreement on Ancestral Domain (MOA-AD) in March 2008 which was abandoned by the government during the presidency of Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo," it says.

“We cannot sign it in the present form or in any other form,” the MILF further said referring to the statement of then Solicitor General Agnes Divinadera.

"Be this as it may, what is good is that Congress ratified it under the new House leadership. In one way or the other, setting aside the internal bickering, nay House dynamics, Speaker Arroyo and allies should also deserve our expression of thanks and gratitude. Without any hesitation, they ratified the BOL. This is the main thing.

For now, we feel great relief in our chest; it is indeed an immense fulfillment. No doubt, the road remains bumpy and tortuous."

The MILF pose some questions: "Challenges ahead are still great. Will someone go to the Supreme Court and challenge the constitutionality of the BOL, and similarly during the plebiscite, will the people in the affected provinces, cities, and barangays ratify or reject it?"

These are some of the hard questions. We have no ready answers now. We will cross the bridge, so to speak, once we are there. Our view is to proceed and face every challenge head-on. “There is no rocky hill for an iron will,” runs another cliché.

The Moro rebel groups started their struggle in 1970s and they did not know they will ever reach this point, the editorial statement says. "Our only weapon is that we believed in the correctness of our cause and in pursuit thereof, we believed in the power of struggle or jihad."

"God helps those who help themselves', says the Holy Qur’an. Similarly, when we agreed to engage government in negotiation, dubbed by critics as 'very local negotiations' we did not know whether we reached or achieved what we have now. Faith and perseverance change the world."

For his part, MILF Chairman Al-haj Murad Ebrahim expressed his delight over Congress' action, hoping "that this is key to moving forward, that there are no more hindrances after this (BOL ratification)."

The signed BOL will create a new autonomous region to be called the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region (BAR), which will comprise six municipalities in Lanao del Norte, 39 barangays in North Cotabato, the cities of Cotabato (Maguindanao),  Isabela (Basilan) and it will also include provinces already part of the ARMM like Basilan, Lanao del Sur, Maguindanao, Sulu, Tawi-Tawi.

It provides that a plebiscite must be held not earlier than 90 days and no later than 150 days after the effectivity of the law for the people to vote if they are for or against it.

Once fully establish, the BAR will receive 75% percent of the taxes that will be collected, an increase from the 70% percent the ARMM currently receives and will also receive a yearly "block grant" of about P60 billion, which is equivalent to 5% percent of the national internal revenue tax collection of the Bureau of Internal Revenue and Bureau of Customs from the third fiscal year immediately preceding the current fiscal year.

Under the BOL, furthermore, the Bangsamoro Parliament is to be headed by a Chief Minister who will govern the BAR. The Chief Minister must be elected by 80 members or representatives, of which at least 40 are party representatives.

The other half must be divided into district representatives and sectoral representatives. Seats will be reserved for members of the non-Muslim indigenous peoples, such as the Teduray, Lambangian, Dulangan Manobo, B'Laan and Higaonon.

Defense and security of the Bangsamoro is the responsibility of the National Government -- Police: Members of the MNLF and MILF shall be admitted to the Philippine National Police. Age, height and educational attainment qualifications may be waived and can be availed of within 5 years after the ratification of the BOL. Recruit from the MNLF and MILF have to 15 years after their entry to fulfill the educational attainment requirement.

Judges in the Shari'ah courts shall be required to be Regular members of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines. Non- IBP judges in Shari'ah district and appellate courts are granted a period to be qualified.

Other provisions of the BOL include the preservation and management of all inland waters is with the Bangsamoro. However, when the inland waters are utilized for energy in areas outside of the Bangsamoro, there will be cooperation between the Bangdamoro and Department of Energy, as primary agency.

Municipal regional waters: Municipal waters are extend to 15 kms. from the low-water mark while regional waters extend up to 19 kms. from the low-water mark, which is above that of regular municipal waters that extend only up to 15 kms.

The Intergovernmental Mechanism: This consist of various coordinative bodies, as follows: Philippine Congress Bangsamoro Parliament Forum; Fiscal Policy Board; Energy Board; and Sustainable Development Board.

The Interngovernmental Fiscal Policy Board shall provide for the sharing of the National government and the Bangsamoro in the income of GOCCs in Bangsamoro. Revenues from the exploration, development and utilization of natural resources, including mines and minerals shall be granted fully to the Bangsamoro. As fossil fuels and uranium, the revenues shall be shared equally.

Education: Teachers in the  Madaris schools are treated as personnel in special technical positions for which the Civil! Service Commission shall set standards for their qualification and appointment. As it strengthens the Mindanao State University system, the Bangsamoro government shall also establish a Tribal University System. Similarly, the Madaris Educational system, Islamic and Arabic Studies will be established, maintained and supervised by the DepEd, CHED, TESDA and the Bangsamoro government.

Social Justice: Measures were provided to ensure every Bangsamoro people and inhabitant access to basic services, and, protection to labor, children, youth, women and settler communities. At least one woman shall be appointed as a Cabinet member.

Rehabilitation and development: The livelihood and other needs of members of the MILF/Bangsamoro Armed Force, the MNKF/Bangsamoro Armed Force, and, their women's auxiliary forces shall be addressed by rehabilutration , reconstruction and development packages as part of the normalization process.

A 10-year Special Development Fund amounting to P50 Billion shall be provided by the National Government, in which P5 Billion shall be released annually, for ten years, starting upon the ratification of the BOL. MGPI News

A fish farm caretaker's tale:
Bouncing back from what was lost

Bouncing back from Typhoon 'Vinta'. The fish farm caretaker throws his crab catch net trap into the water.

Fishpond caretaker Abdulkali Baladji from the Municipality of Kabasalan, Zamboanga Sibugay Province, earns his main income from a small-scale fish farming. However, after typhoon Tropical Storm Vinta swept his town last December 22, 2017, which severely affected local fisheries, there was not enough fish to catch anymore.

Baladji lives in an area where it has a good source of brackish water being embraced along the east and southeast portions by Talinan creek and Baga river respectively; that provide its freshwater supply throughout the year. His place is particularly rich in mangroves and nipa palm (Nypa fruticans).

His wife is working abroad as a domestic helper, so he looks after his six children alone. "I'm not relying on my wife's earning. I work hard rain or shine, day and night even when the weather is very hot and cold, so I can earn money to feed my children and send them to school."

On the day before severe flooding hit Kabasalan town, it was cloudy and raining lightly. Baladji was fixing a leaking dike inside the pond, then all of a sudden a strong wind gusted. The rain also intensified, prompting him to rush home.
At that time, his six children, all minors,  were inside their unfinished semi-half concrete half wooden house. "I quickly went home amid strong winds and heavy rains to make sure everything was okay.

Straight away he recited 'Allahu Akbar. Allahu Akbar. La ilaha illa Allah (God is Great. God is Great. There's no deity but Allah). Then he alerted his children telling them to stay with him inside the house because flood is occurring very soon.

Without any panic, Baladji went outside his house leaving his children to check if the weather was getting worse. He was shocked to see floodwaters that roared like a river through the fishpond. Once the flood had reached his house,  he rushed to a mini port and embarked on his multi-purpose motorized outrigger canoe to save his children from rampaging flood waters.

"I thank Allah (God) Almighty for saving me and my children. I thank Allah that my home and neighbors survived the river floods," he said.

The Office of Civil Defense (OCD) reported that six bodies were found in Barangay Banker (Good Year) while an 8-year-old was missing after the devastating flood that wiped out houses and displaced more than 2,000 of residents across 13 villages.

Accordingly, the provinces of Zamboanga del Norte and Zamboanga del Sur were
hardest hit by flash floods, where 42 people died and over a dozen went missing.
Baladji's thousands of bangus (milkfish) fingerlings, juvenile mud crabs (king crabs), and prawns stocked in the pond few weeks before the Vinta had been washed away by flood. His pond material storehouse, nets and other farming tools were all gone.

"If the dam in Good Year had not been damaged, the flood would not have been much more severe," he hinted and saying "It's a poorly-built mitigating dam." There was a sudden rise of flood waters coming from the river. I could have saved some stocks in the farm."

A fisherman his whole life since his youthful days, Baladji had observed that there were more floods now than there used to be. "I often hear in the radio about floods more now than it used to be. Floods today are more severe because I think of manmade climate change. Even relatively small amounts of rain could immediately trigger floods. I don’t really understand it."

The 43-year-old farmer is concerned that with more frequent flooding it could badly impacted his livelihood and many poor families of Kabasalan for whom fishing serves as the main source of income. "We have no other sources of income other than from farming and additional works for the sustenance and education of our children."
One of his big headaches is the theft of crabs and bangus perpetrated by outsiders or intruders. "They steal most of the mud crabs and bangus even not the market-sized stocks when no one is manning the pond. This is really a problem because this can lead to significant losses and reduced profits."

Being a pond overseer, Baladji said he is responsible for the success of farm business. "I don't want to lose the trust of my boss given in me, so I do regular inspection of all dikes and remotest part of the pond with my dog to make sure that no one can steal the stocks."

When asked if he's struggling to make both ends meet, Baladji replied: "Honestly right now I'm struggling. It's hard for me with six children to keep my expenses within my meager income. So I work to the bone."

"But as long as there are mangrove swamps and clean, unpolluted brackish water free from floods in my hometown where we can catch 'sari-sari' fish, mud crabs, prawns and shrimps, we'll live naturally," he quipped with a smile.

Baladji furthered their fortune is tied to the brackish water, which hosts the fish pond entrusted to him. Aside from overseeing the farm, he also works as shellfish picker to feed the crabs.

The Provincial Planning and Development Office (PPDO) in its socio-economic profile of Zamboanga Sibugay data showed Kabasalan town is among the 13 fish landing centers of the province. The major species harvested in brackish water areas are bangus (milkfish), prawn, tilapia, mud crabs and others (W. shrimps).

In recent years, the province which has an area of approximately 8,721 hectares of brackish water fishponds yielded about 268.109 metric tons of fish. There were also several fish pen and fish cage operations with an average cage size of 0.50 hectare that are found in the municipality and its neighboring coastal towns.

Since growing mud crabs is a profitable venture, Baladji said he encourages the fish farm owner to focus on crab fattening because it's turnover is fast, hence, the period between investment and returns is short, thereby increasing their income.
"Considering the increasing demand of mud crab in the markets, I believe crab farming is quite profitable," he said.

For instance, Baladji said: "You purchased P30,000 worth of 1,000 pieces of juvenile crabs for farming at the rate of Ph25 each, and after four months or more, let say six hundred crabs (worst case scenario) survived and grew big (good size) with a weight of at least 2 pieces a kilo. The market rate for 1 kilogram of mud crab is P500 to P800, so with your surviving crabs, you can earn hundreds of thousands, more than double return on your capital."

Baladji, meanwhile, admitted to using organic tobacco dust in the preparation or sterilization of fishpond before the stocking of juvenile mudcrabs and milk fish/prawn fingerlings, but depending on the availability of product. His practice is applying 'apog' to condition the soil and to control the predators in the ponds.

"Unlike some chemical pesticides, which will cause harm to the fingerlings, this (application of apog) is one practical means of caring the ponds from the pests and also serves as organic fertilizer to promote the growth of natural fish food," he added.
As far as Baladji is concerned, mud crab farming can be a rewarding experience to him, being a farmer and fish pond caretaker, as it is providing a profitable and steady source of income.

Even though he was heavily affected by the recent flooding, he is now able to get back slowly what was lost during the calamity. "Insha'Allah (God willing). Through hard work, determination, perseverance and personal sacrifice, we will succeed and bounce back." MGPI News