What exactly does the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) seek to provide Filipino Muslims that the current system of government and the way the Philippines is organised into political units does not provide? This, is the question that seems to have gone unanswered over the course of this national crisis. Perhaps, as most Filipinos now suspect, it is because the BBL initiative was hatched on the basis of people’s personal agendas rather than on a true evaluation of the real issues.
LIAR
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The failure of the Philippine government under President Benigno Simeon ‘BS’ Aquiuno III in this regard was to apply an approach to dealing with these crooks in a manner that did not put the primacy of the current system (under which the vast majority of Filipinos live by) first and the grievances of the minorities they represent a distant second.
The framework agreement should have been around clear points describing reasons why Filipino Muslims cannot achieve their goals under the current system in place.
With that underlying context, the question as to why all these Islamic terrorists — including the Moro Islamic Liberation Front — are armed and running all around Mindanao killing people comes front and center. Because the then-hypothetical solution will have involved some change and legislation to implement a new governance approach, the reasons required would have to be systemic in nature (i.e. systemic reasons why Muslims cannot work with the current system as it stands) rather than political/historical reasons supposedly leading to their armed movement and justifying its continued existence.
Framed this way, the debate would likely have been more straightforward — that whatever the historical reasons, the existence of armed bandits cannot be tolerated even as any “peace” deal was discussed.
As we can see now, the unnecessary complications of this issue and the accompanying waste in time and resources that result from it are all rooted in the flawed notion that there are three different groups to deal with thanks to this misguided focus on “historical context” rather than on the present situation. The fact is, there really is only just one enemy. If the Army (or, for that matter, any entity or agency — civilian or military — that wants to dabble in Mindanao solutioneering) were given instructions to regard their mission as one dealing with just one enemy, then they will likely have been more effective in ending Islamic terrorism in Mindanao.
At present, President BS Aquino being the single common denominator transcending the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, the Philippine military, and the police is and always has been in the single best position to tell the truth. But he did not step up to that role when it counted. Instead he shrunk behind a web of lies and bullshittery that other people are now busy untangling.
Instead of stepping up to the statesmanship he is called for he is biding time waiting for other people to tease out that “truth” which he likely already has stuck somewhere between his brain and his mouth.
For the past month and a half, President BS Aquino has turned a deaf ear to his bosses’ demands that he tell the truth.
Thus, the only argument against President BS Aquino’s critics that his apologists have retreated back to is that the guy is “not a bad or evil guy”. That phrase encapsulates Filipino-style mediocre thinking. Rather than aspire for excellence, Filipinos aspire for “not bad”. The fatal consequences of that culture of pwede-na-yan are on exhibit today.
The style of selective history story-telling involving ignoring certain inconvenient facts and focusing on certain “positive” aspects has turned the Mindanao situation into a monstrously convoluted “debate”. Because a president who couldn’t — no, wouldn’t — come up and tell the truth currently rules the land, chaos reigns. Any aspect of an issue can be made to look like a shining light when you blot out context. In this case, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, taken out of its criminal context and placed against a backdrop of “historical” tales is made out to be a “special” sort of “peace” partner. That’s kind of like regarding a drunk bum lying on the sidewalk and saying, “ignore for a moment that the guy is a drunk bum, he’s still a human being in God’s eyes”.
Filipinos routinely fall for that sort of bullshit.
I’m sure most people here are quite familiar with that awful feeling of being lied to. Questions don’t get straight answers, lots of stammering gets sputtered out, delays, delays, and more delays, etc. You know a liar when you are faced with one and this one — no less than the President of the Philippines — is hiding behind drawn out “procedures”.
Rather than tell the truth straightaway (and the president had lots of opportunity to face the public in a timely manner and do just that), BS Aquino relied on the Senate and his media henchmen to do the job for him. So he deserves to cop the buckets of criticism and derision thrown his way today. Perhaps the truth may eventually come out but it will not come from BS Aquino’s BS mouth. It will come from people who had to go out and find it the HARD way.
Are you gonna believe such a man next time? Nobody will. Only fools get lied to by the same liar a SECOND time.
benign0 is the Webmaster of GetRealPhilippines.com.
“What exactly does the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) seek to provide Filipino Muslims that the current system of government and the way the Philippines is organised into political units does not provide?”
The answer is simple:Our current system of gov’t doesn’t work not only in Muslim Mindanao but the whole Philippines. A presidential and centralized form of gov’t doesn’t work for a country of 7,107 islands and a people who speaks more or less 110 languages and dialects. I’m with Sen.Nene Pimentel and Mayor Rodrigo Duterte on this. We have to adopt Federalism as a form of gov’t. We would not be debating the BBL if this system is in place.
Our gov’t is not the gov’t of the Philippines but it’s ‘Imperial Manila’. All political, economic and social affairs are all centered within NCR. The MILF blames ‘Imperial Manila’ for making ARMM the poorest region in the country and that’s one of the reasons why they are pushing for the BBL. Meanwhile in Cebu, the local gov’t is requiring schools to sing the national anthem in Bisaya as a sign of protest against Tagalog hegemony which is the language of the people in NCR.
Fair enough. Changes need to be made — but those changes need to be applicable to ALL Filipinos and not just a small minority of violent individuals.
Totally agree Sir! Thats why the change to a Federal form of government is our best bet not this BBL! For the Philippines to truly change for the better! We dont want a Yugoslavia scenario where our country would fracture into different states!
Unfortunately, unlike a drunk bum who’s not in full control of himself and will probably be more of a danger to himself than others, the Moronic Liberation Front has proven themselves to be violent and dangerous criminals…
Again, it shows that Noynoy is too willing to throw his citizens/”bosses” under the bus for personal glory. And that glory-mongering has done an impeccable job on showing that the Philippines is weak as a nation by negotiating with terrorists. Which shows a clear message:
“Bully the Philippines enough times and they will buckle down easily.”
ancestral domain is mention in sharia law. that’s what pnoy is after to save hacienda luisita and nothing else. if he fail, they will lost what their parents are fighting for and died for.
Aquino has always been a Congenital Liar. His parents are liars. His grandfather was a liar. It is a family, who built their political reputations on lies.
The Islamic Radicals are not looking for the good of their followers; much more, the good for Mindanao. These Jihadists are looking for a Caliphate, to rule and impose their Brand of Sharia Law.
Just look at the foreign Jihadists in their midst. Mindanao is now turning into Syria, Pakistan, Iraq, Somalia, Nigeria, etc…
Aquino made this mess…just to Steal from the National Treasury thru the funding of the MILF/ISIS/Al Queda…
BBL — The Biggest Big Lie. It is a corporate lie, a lie that is the product of conspiracy, wittingly or unwittingly. It had to take the sacrifice of 44 lives to uncover this lie. BBL will never bring peace because peace comes from truth and is based on truth. Truth does not need coercion and threats of war as lies need deceptions, cover-ups, white-washed investigations and reports, and irrationality. Coercion is the object of terrorists, and terrorists are obstinate because they can only use, or are limted to, war to advance an agenda. They can’t see other options because their vision of reality is limited, and half-truths are lies which thrives in confusion. Truth builds and unifies; lies destroy and divide. And that is why PHL is a divided nation.
Osmeña characterizes PNoy as super-obstinate, super-hardheaded. That means he lies to himself all the time. It must be because his coming of age was a different reality from the vast majority. He could be sincere about his intentions with regards to BBL, but that does not make BBL a product of truth. PHL is in a crisis because the President is being made to see the truth, and he resists. #SaanAngPangulo. Truth is spontaneous and does not need to hide; it is self-generated, instinctive, impulsive, intuitive, natural, unscripted and unprompted. If PNoy persists and insists on the lie, then PHL will be divided, as sure as the sun rises from East. If he sees as most see reality and sees the truth, then BBL naturally dies. Unfortunately, narcissism blinds, and truth remains elusive. Whatever, truth always has way of getting back, even in the most unexpected manner, for a lie is an illusion, the absolute, or total, absence of reality.
Many are questioning why Ferrer and Deles are lawyering for the MILF. They have to depend on, and defend, MILF because a lie cannot stand on its own. Maybe, it is Stockholm Syndrome. Maybe, it is intellectual pride. Whatever, they have to depend on something because truth is the only thing that can stand on its own; a lie can’t. Whatever, they are infidels, and yet because of political correctness, they are ignoring Taqiyya. MILF will never see Taqiyya the way infidels do because it is the reality they were born into; a reality non-Muslims were never born into. Whatever, Ferrer and Deles (including Supreme Court’s Leonen, their predecessor) are being obstinate because their boss is super-obstinate. But, they might see the truth when they will be sent to jail for treason.
Truth will set us free. And, truth (in full, straight-forward, transparent, commonsensical, volunteered or unvolunteered, hesitatingly or not) is the only thing this country needs, especialy now.
HA, these MUZZIES want to live under Sharia Law.They do not give a shit what the current constitution says. They want to rule themselves and therefore the questions asked in the context of this essay are meaningless to them. They want out of the secular world.I say fuck em, live here, under our laws or????
….. go to fuckin jail !
Oh shit. wrong link. Damn you, vodka!
Napeñas camp: Aquino should answer for Purisima’s actions
If we are not ashamed to think it, we should not be ashamed to say it.
BS Aquino is doing it the other way around with a succulent twist. And he is giving us all the shit for it.