Duterte fulfills promise and gives Muslim Mindanao wider autonomy
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte on July 26 signed an autonomy law covering wider self-rule for Muslims in the south and was fulfilling is election promise, his spokesman Harry Roque said.
The President, however, kept martial law in the province in effect until the end of the year since a number of problems with the Muslim insurgency in the country’s rebellious south are still unresolved.
Under the Bangsamoro Organic Law, four million Muslim Filipinos will be allowed to form an elected parliament and administration in Islamic-majority areas of southern Mindanao and nearby islands, where five decades of insurgency have left more than 100,000 people dead.
The law looks to give the people in the south control over many local government functions, including taxation and education, and it will allow Muslim Filipinos to incorporate Islamic law into their justice system. Both houses of the Philippine congress approved the BOL bill earlier this week.
“After much confusion, the president has signed into law the Bangsamoro Organic Law,” Roque said, referring to the suggested new name of the province.
The law will go to a vote in designated provinces this year before elections, which are expected to take place next year.
As part of the autonomy deal, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front is required to gradually disband its armed force, estimated by the military to be about 11,000 fighters.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres welcomed a new law which grants extra autonomy to Muslim communities in the Philippines, describing it as a “landmark achievement” for “lasting peace”.
“The secretary-general congratulates negotiators for the government of the Philippines and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, the Bicameral Conference Committee, the Bangsamoro Transition Commission and civil society groups for their efforts,” the UN chief said in a statement,
[caption id="attachment_31823" align="alignleft" width="300"] Destruction in Mawari in southern Mindanao province after a month-long seize by ISIS-linked groups last year[/caption] Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte on July 26 signed an autonomy law covering wider self-rule for Muslims in the south and was fulfilling is election promise, his spokesman Harry Roque said. The President, however, kept martial law in the province in effect until the end of the year since a number of problems with the Muslim insurgency in the country's rebellious south are still unresolved. Under the Bangsamoro Organic Law, four million Muslim Filipinos will be allowed to form an elected...
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte on July 26 signed an autonomy law covering wider self-rule for Muslims in the south and was fulfilling is election promise, his spokesman Harry Roque said.
The President, however, kept martial law in the province in effect until the end of the year since a number of problems with the Muslim insurgency in the country’s rebellious south are still unresolved.
Under the Bangsamoro Organic Law, four million Muslim Filipinos will be allowed to form an elected parliament and administration in Islamic-majority areas of southern Mindanao and nearby islands, where five decades of insurgency have left more than 100,000 people dead.
The law looks to give the people in the south control over many local government functions, including taxation and education, and it will allow Muslim Filipinos to incorporate Islamic law into their justice system. Both houses of the Philippine congress approved the BOL bill earlier this week.
“After much confusion, the president has signed into law the Bangsamoro Organic Law,” Roque said, referring to the suggested new name of the province.
The law will go to a vote in designated provinces this year before elections, which are expected to take place next year.
As part of the autonomy deal, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front is required to gradually disband its armed force, estimated by the military to be about 11,000 fighters.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres welcomed a new law which grants extra autonomy to Muslim communities in the Philippines, describing it as a “landmark achievement” for “lasting peace”.
“The secretary-general congratulates negotiators for the government of the Philippines and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, the Bicameral Conference Committee, the Bangsamoro Transition Commission and civil society groups for their efforts,” the UN chief said in a statement,
