{"id":175352,"date":"2018-08-06T21:58:33","date_gmt":"2018-08-07T01:58:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/?p=175352"},"modified":"2018-08-06T21:58:33","modified_gmt":"2018-08-07T01:58:33","slug":"duterte-urges-pinoys-join-bol-discussions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/2018\/08\/06\/duterte-urges-pinoys-join-bol-discussions\/","title":{"rendered":"Duterte urges Pinoys to join BOL discussions"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\u201cBut more importantly, I encourage you to take part in the upcoming plebiscite so that you may express your sovereign will through the ballot,\u201d he added. (ACE MORANDANTE\/PRESIDENTIAL FILE PHOTO)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

MANILA<\/strong>\u00a0— President Rodrigo R. Duterte on Monday enjoined all Filipinos to participate in \u201cconstructive discussions\u201d on the newly-signed Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL) as part of collective efforts to sustain lasting peace, not just in Mindanao, but in the entire country.<\/p>\n

\u201cI ask my Bangsamoro brothers and sisters, as well as the indigenous communities and Christian settlers living within the Bangsamoro areas, to actively participate in constructive discussions about the law in your homes, in your villages, and communities,\u201d Duterte said in his speech during the ceremonial reenactment of the signing of the BOL and the signing of the national ID law in Malaca\u00f1ang.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut more importantly, I encourage you to take part in the upcoming plebiscite so that you may express your sovereign will through the ballot,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

Presidential Peace Adviser Secretary Jesus Dureza told reporters in an ambush interview that the plebiscite on the BOL could take place by late November or early December.<\/p>\n

Duterte, meanwhile, expressed hope that the BOL would be given a chance to succeed in providing the Bangsamoro with more autonomy while at the same time keeping the country \u201cindivisible.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLet us work together as we continue the healing and reconciliation process. Let us give this law a chance to address the Bangsamoro people\u2019s aspiration for genuine autonomy, while preserving our bond as a single nation and affirming the sovereignty of the indivisible Republic of the Philippines,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

Duterte said he was \u201cproud\u201d to present a landmark legislative measure, which will help \u201cchart a future where very Filipino — regardless of ethnicity, culture, or religious affiliation, can enjoy freedom.\u201d<\/p>\n

He thanked the lawmakers responsible for supporting his administration\u2019s legislative agenda – including former Senate President Aquilino Pimentel III, former House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez, Senate President Vicente Sotto III and House Speaker Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.<\/p>\n

\u201cIndeed, the passage of these laws speak well of their able leadership and firm resolve to rise above divisive partisan politics,\u201d Duterte said.<\/p>\n

The Chief Executive also expressed gratitude to the Bangsamoro Transition Commission (BTC), the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), and the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) for their unwavering commitment in pursuing the passage of the BOL.<\/p>\n

\u201cMay this serve as the final trajectory for the attainment of genuine peace, stability, [and] good governance in Muslim Mindanao,\u201d Duterte said.<\/p>\n

Earlier, Duterte said he is keeping his fingers crossed that the BOL will be \u201cimplemented right.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cTapos ko \u2018yang BBL (referring to BOL), whether it will be implemented right or not, that\u2019s a story which we have to\u2026 it\u2019s still unfolding,\u201d Duterte said in his speech during the inauguration of the Northern Mindanao Wellness and Reintegration Center in Bukidnon on Friday.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo we\u2019ll just have to keep our fingers crossed and pray to God that Allah might want also to,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

Last July 26, Duterte signed the BOL, or Republic Act 11054, a law that will establish a new Bangsamoro political entity to replace the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), but did not hold any ceremony.<\/p>\n

Formerly known as the Bangsamoro Basic Law, the BOL is premised on the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro, a signed peace deal.<\/p>\n

The law is part of the Duterte administration\u2019s effort to achieve national rapprochement with the Moro rebel groups.<\/p>\n

Congress has had several hearings on the BOL to make sure that the law is within the bounds of the Constitution, national sovereignty and territorial integrity, at the same time ensuring that the interests of all sectors are respected.<\/p>\n

Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque earlier described Monday\u2019s event as a \u201cceremonial reenactment of the signing\u201d since Duterte had already signed it.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

MANILA\u00a0— President Rodrigo R. Duterte on Monday enjoined all Filipinos to participate in \u201cconstructive discussions\u201d on the newly-signed Bangsamoro Organic …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":33,"featured_media":167516,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1145,16,95],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-175352","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-headline","category-news","category-news-ph","mauthors-azer-parrocha","mauthors-philippine-news-agency"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/175352","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/33"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=175352"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/175352\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/167516"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=175352"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=175352"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=175352"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}