MANILA (PNA) – House Speaker Prospero C. Nograles on Thursday appealed to give peace a chance in the light of the controversial issue on the memorandum of agreement (MOA) signing between the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) that would pave the way for the creation of the proposed Bangsamoro Juridical Entity (BJE).

Saying that the proposed BJE is not yet a done deal, Nograles called on several Mindanao leaders to give the peace agreement a chance as he insisted that the government will never veer away established legal and constitutional processes.

The Speaker said any peace agreement between the GRP-MILF should fall within the framework of the Philippine Constitution as he noted that the Supreme Court’s temporary restraining order on the MOA signing in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia is well within the bounds of law.

“The MOA on Ancestral Domain is a major breakthrough in the peace process that will finally bring permanent peace, stability and development in Mindanao. But we have to achieve peace within the framework of our Constitution by respecting the judicial process,” he said.

He noted that the BJE as envisaged in the draft MOA on Ancestral Domain would have to be perfected by the required legislative requirements and undergo the constitutional process before it can be established.

“We would not want to waste time and miss this opportunity. But there are legal matters we must respect. We can’t afford to lose another life, another job, another business/investment venture in Mindanao which has become a land of unfulfilled promises,” he said.

“Foremost, Congress has to set in motion the proposed BJE by enacting an enabling law. Then, an amendment of the Constitution may be necessary to accommodate, among others, a new territorial area proposed under the BJE. Finally, a plebiscite must be held in the identified areas to ascertain the actual boundaries of the BJE similar to the ARMM exercise in the nineties,” he said.

The Speaker cited the case of the peace pact between the GRP and the Moro National Liberation Front where many provinces and cities which were envisioned to be part of the ARMM rejected this proposal in a plebiscite.

“Palawan, Lanao del Norte, South Cotabato, Cotabato City, North Cotabato and other cities and provinces including Zamboanga City rejected the proposal to become part of the original ARMM in a referendum. That same process will be observed in the case of the BJE,” he added. (Zorayda S. Tecson, PNA)