The crucial six votes

 THIS week, we expect our six representatives in the Lower House to participate, deliberate and vote on the proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL).

There are major contentious issues in the BBL as crafted by the Aquino administration jointly with the leaders of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), and what’s truly worrisome is the insistence of President Aquino himself that the bill be passed without any amendment.

Thankfully, the House committees did its part and proceeded to delete what it considered unconstitutional and replaced words and phrases to close any possibility of a future claim for a separate Bangsamoro state.

At the plenary, we, therefore, ask our honorable representatives: Jesus Celeste, Leopoldo Bataoil, Rosemarie Baby Arenas, Gina de Venecia, Kimi Cojuangco, and Marlyn Agabas, to demand categorical answers to the following: 1) Will the MILF completely shun its armed status and surrender all its weapons once the BBL is passed? What guarantees can be had? 2) Will MILF finally submit itself to the jurisdiction of Philippine justice for crimes it committed in the past? 3) What is it about the BBL that the existing ARMM that cannot possibly address? 4) Why can’t the desired development plans described in BBL simply be earmarked for implementation under the ARMM mechanism?

And, when the time of reckoning comes, please vote as our duly elected representatives, not as blind allies of the Aquino administration.

 

P4-billion windfall

WE sympathize with Manny Pacquiao.  His loss was also our loss.  But we abide by the three judges’ unanimous decision making Floyd Mayweather Jr. the winner. Mayweather had said before the fight, “Every boxing match is a brain game.”  While Mayweather used cunning, Pacquiao employed aggression.  Alas, Pacquiao’s attacking style went in vain against Mayweather’s defensive strategy of hitting, dancing out of harm’s way and clinching.  It was Pacquiao’s sixth loss in 65 fights; Mayweather escaped with his 48th straight victory in 17 years of professional fighting.

But did Pacquiao fight with an injured shoulder as he claimed after the bout?  It seemed he wasn’t hurting from Round 1 to Round 12.

This became fodder again for Mayweather to hit Pacquiao, accusing the PacMan of engaging in “excuses, excuses, excuses.”

He lost, yes, but Pacquiao did not lose all the marbles.  He laughed his way to the bank clutching no less than a $120-million check (almost P4 billion).  Not bad.

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