The Bangsamoro Organic Law is a landmark legislation that aims to provide not only enduring peace in Muslim Mindanao, but also a foundation for future cooperation between the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao and the rest of the Philippines.
To get a glimpse of what the Bangsamoro Organic Law envisions, stated below is its Preamble.
PREAMBLE
Imploring the aid of Almighty God, in recognition of the aspirations of the Bangsamoro people and other inhabitants in the autonomous region in Muslim Mindanao to establish an enduring peace on the basis of justice, balanced society and asserting their rights to conserve and develop their patrimony, reflective of their system of life as prescribed by their faith, in harmony with their customary laws, cultures and traditions, within the framework of the Constitution and the national sovereignty as well as territorial integrity of the Republic of the Philippines, and the accepted principles of human rights, liberty, justice, democracy, and the norms and standards of international law, and affirming their distinct historical identity and birthright to their ancestral homeland and their right to chart their political future through a democratic process that will secure their identity and posterity, and allow genuine and meaningful self-governance, the Filipino people, by the act of the Congress of the Philippines, do hereby ordain and promulgate this Organic Law for the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.
The Bangsamoro People refers to those who, at the advent of the Spanish colonization, were considered natives or original inhabitants of Mindanao and the Sulu archipelago and its adjacent islands.
The word “Moro” is a term of Spanish origin that originally referred to the Muslim people of mixed Arab and Barber descent from Northwest Africa. These “Moors” invaded and occupied Spain in the eighth century, thus becoming colonial masters of the Spaniards at that time. In the sixteenth century, when the Spaniards colonized the islands of the Philippines, the term “Moro” was first used to refer to the Muslim natives in Manila because of the observed commonalities between them and the Moors. Later on, in 1578, the Spaniards began using the term “Moro” to refer to the Muslim inhabitants of the Southern region of Mindanao and Sulu as majority of the Philippine population converted to Christianity.
The word “Bangsa” on the other hand, is an old Malay word meaning race or nation. Hence, the term “Bangsamoro” translates to “Moro Nation” or “Moro Race,” which includes all of the Filipino-Muslim ethnolinguistic groups in Mindanao. There are at least 16 ethnolinguistic groups in the BARMM and these generally hail from the Malay race. Among the ethnolinguistic groups in the BARMM, the four largest are: the Tausug, the Samal, the Magindanaon, and the Maranao.
This article is for the Bangsamoro and their struggle; The Moros had to use the kris, then the gun, to attain autonomy.
Now, may they find lasting peace, with the pen.
For inquiries and questions, you may send an email to abogado@palmlawoffice.com.
The views and opinions in this article are merely those of the authors. This article is for general informational purposes only. It is not offered as a legal advice or legal opinion.
Atty. Joss Pilapil, Atty. Jake Leoncini, and Atty. Xavier Aseron are Partners at PALM Law Office. Together with Atty. Mohammad Estrella and Atty. Kevin Buen L. Marquez, they authored a law book entitled Moral Governance : An Introduction to the Bangsamoro Organic Law. The same is currently under publication with REX Education.
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