MANILA, Aug. 28 -- Senator Teofisto “TG” D. Guingona III reminded Tuesday, August 25 his colleagues in the Senate that the Basic Law for the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region (BLBAR) is more than just a legislative document, highlighting the bill’s cultural and historical importance to the Bangsamoro region’s quest for self-determination and genuine autonomy.

“I would like to remind everyone that this document is not just a legal document. It is a political document. And to a certain extent it is also a historical document that we are crafting here. We should not just consider the legal aspect but also the cultural context of this document,” said Guingona.

The Senate Committee on Local Government headed by Senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos, Jr. drafted the BLBAR. It is a revised version of the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) which in turn was drafted by the Bangsamoro Transition Commission and reviewed and finalized by the Office of the President.

Senator Marcos’ committee introduced significant changes to the BLBAR prompting questions from peace proponents on whether the prospective Bangsamoro will be better off than the current Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM).

Senator Paolo Benigno “Bam” Aquino IV questioned the deletion of the envisioned Bangsamoro regional government’s power over inland waters despite this power being explicitly given already in the ARMM law, as Senator Marcos has repeatedly insisted that the Bangsamoro region envisioned by his committee’s BLBAR will not have fewer powers than the ARMM, saying that “diminishing privileges already granted to ARMM will be a step back.”

Guingona made the statement within the context of control over resources, specifically pertaining to inland waters, saying that “it’s already been granted under the ARMM law but it has been taken away from the Bangsamoro by the committee report.”

Marcos explained that the changes with regard to the control of inland waters were guided by the Republic’s existing Local Government Code. However, Guingona countered that it would be better “to give powers over resources to Bangsamoro instead of just relying on different municipalities,” especially as these waters have immense cultural and historical importance, citing as example Lake Lanao.

“By way of background, I would just like to state that for example the inland of waters of the Bangsamoro have a very distinct historical and cultural dimension. It is not just legal, there is a historical and cultural dimension to it,” Guingona said.

“It will be inconceivable to tell a Maranao that you are a Maranao but you have no control over Lake Lanao. Maranao means ‘people of the lake.’ Their identity as a people is so entwined with Lake Lanao,” Guingona said, adding this would be akin to “telling a Filipino that he can't wear a barong tagalog. It's inconceivable.”

ARMM Governor Mujiv S. Hataman recently appealed to legislators to study the BBL carefully and thoroughly. “We are concerned over raised apprehensions that the substitute version no longer stands for the aspirations of the Moro people for a genuine independence and self-rule,” said in a statement release by Hataman’s office a few days ago.

“We appeal to [legislators] to reflect on the lives of the Moro people in Mindanao who will directly suffer from the gaps in the delivery of services once a weak and diluted law is passed,” the statement continued.