The Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) is looking at the possibility of elevating their concerns to the United Nations if the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) gets delayed or watered down, MILF Central Committee Vice Chairman Ghazali Jaafar said.
For several months, the separatist group has been vocal in saying that they do not have other options but to accept whatever fate the BBL will have. But at a press conference held Wednesday, Jaafar was singing a different tune.
“We have options lined up and that includes going to the UN to resolve it through peaceful means,” Jaafar said.
The MILF vice chair stressed that his group will not accept a watered-down version of the BBL. “If the MILF accepts a watered down BBL people will laugh at us,” he said.
When asked if the MILF will declare war against the government if a revised BBL is passed, Jaafar said that Congress and the government will have declared war by passing a bill that is different from what was approved by the joint panel.
He said the MILF Central Committee will decide whether the group will go to war or to the UN.
Jaafar also said that further delays on the passage of the BBL have caused some MILF members to become impatient on the negotiations and cross over to breakaway groups such as the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF).
He noted the BIFF bolted from the MILF because they lost their faith on the peaceful negotiations.“It’s not impossible for some groups to feel anxious because the talks have been dragging on for a long time,” he said.
The BBL seeks to establish a Bangsamoro region that will replace the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.
Congress has earlier agreed to pass the BBL by June 30, but its course changed after the Mamasapano massacre on Jan. 25 that killed 44 Special Action Force commandos, 18 MILF fighters, and five civilians.
Meanwhile, Senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., chairman of the Senate committee on local government, said in a statement Tuesday that BBL hearings will resume on April 13 after the Holy Week break.
The announcement came a day after the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) submitted its probe commission’s report on the Mamasapano massacre.
