The presidents of the five Jesuit universities in the Philippines have called for the immediate passage of a proposed law that will result in the creation of a new Muslim Region on the island of Mindanao, where more than 23 percent of the population is Muslim. The enhanced Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) is a vital part of the final peace agreement signed in 2014 between the Philippine government and the rebel Moro Islamic Liberation Front.
In a joint statement released on March 16, the presidents of Ateneo de Zamboanga University, Ateneo de Davao University, Ateneo de Manila University, Ateneo de Naga University and Xavier University-Ateneo de Cagayan said that “the law’s passage would provide a real and meaningful foundation for countering violent extremism and addressing the many other conflicts in Mindanao”.
Once passed into law, the BBL will lead to the creation of the Bangsamoro Region replacing the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao. The statement said that the proposed legislation drafted by the expanded Bangsamoro Transition Commission “hews closest to the genuine aspirations of Filipino Muslims and other marginalised sectors in Mindanao for lasting peace based on justice, economic growth and social equity”.
Three of the Jesuit universities – Ateneo de Zamboanga in Zamboanga City, Xavier University-Ateneo de Cagayan in Cagayan de Oro City and Ateneo de Davao University in Davao City – are located near the periphery of the proposed Bangsamoro Region. The Bangsamoro are the Moro peoples of Mindanao who have been struggling for their right to self-determination for years.
“No doubt, the journey to peace and justice remains long and difficult. But there is light that beckons at the end of the long, dark tunnel for beloved Mindanao,” the Jesuits said in the statement. “Our Catholic faith and Jesuit tradition call us to tread the pathways taken by the Prince of Peace, daring us to embrace multi-cultural openness and inter-religious dialogue.”
In 2015, when the first draft of the BBL was submitted to the Philippine Senate, the Ateneo presidents also issued a joint statement in which they said that “the establishment of a Muslim region in Mindanao that is truly autonomous is mandated by the Constitution as a social justice imperative. Let this social justice no longer be postponed”.
The Philippine Jesuit Province Commission on Ministries has developed a primer on the enhanced BBL as well as a primer on federalism and charter change as there are efforts to transform the county’s form of government.
“It is hoped that these primers will add to the groundswell of ongoing efforts in our ministries and ministry clusters to address these important concerns,” said Fr Robert Rivera SJ, Chair of the Province’s Commission on Ministries.
“We in the Commission on Ministries thus enjoin all our partners in mission to encourage study, reflection and action on these issues among our ministries and in our wider areas of influence, in the spirit of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines renewed call for the formation of ‘circles of discernment’,” he added.
In addition, Simbahang Lingkod ng Bayan, the province advocacy coordinating group, and other partners will be preparing various materials and advocacy efforts over the next few months to aid the province’s engagement.
Read the statement here.
Download the primer on the Expanded Bangsamoro Basic Law here.