by Maria Theresa B. Panzo

IPDM - Consultation on the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) draft

The staff of the Institute for Peace and Development in Mindanao (IPDM) headed by its officer-in-charge, Prof. Juvanni Caballero, are participating in an initial public consultation on the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) draft by the office of Rep. Vicente Belmonte Jr. held today at Celadon Pensionne House, Pala-o.

Dr. Mark Anthony J. Torres, Peace Research Coordinator; Prof. Mark Tristan Quimque, Peace Action Coordinator; Prof. Meriam Gay Bautista, Peace Education Coordinator; Prof. Michelle Samantha Rodriguez, Secretary; Mr. Nohman Khalil, Peace Community Coordinator; Ms. Agnes Torres, administrative assistant; and Mr. Ryan Tundag, administrative aide are also in attendance.

In his letter of invitation to IPDM, Belmonte emphasized on the importance of the consultation especially since congressional hearings have already started on the BBL draft.

Resource persons for the consultation include Hon. Miriam Coronel Ferrer, chairperson of the GPH peace panel; Hon. Senen Bacani, member of the GPH panel; Atty. Mohammad Al-Amin Julkipli, legal team member of GPH; and the Bangsamoro Transition Commission represented by Commissioner Said Shiek, Commissioner Talib Abdulhamid Benito, and Commissioner Maulana Alonto.

The IPDM, being the only academic/government organization which is a member of the Lanao Peace Partnership (LPP), is also active in the conduct of the Comprehensive Agreement on Bangsamoro Education (CAB Ed) as part of the organizers and pool of resource persons. These sessions which are aimed to contribute to a more transparent and democratized peace process through education, consultation and engagement with stakeholders, are held from October until the second week of December 2014.

IPDM is one of the focal organizations for the CAB Ed sessions in Lanao del Norte.

A legal team from the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process and members of the Bangsamoro Transition Commission are tapped as resource persons for these sessions.

Caballero and Torres were the resource persons in the CAB Ed session which was conducted to Psychology majors on October 14, 2014 while another CAB Ed session was organized by religious organizations on October 17, 2014.

Caballero will also be the resource speaker on CAB Ed sessions scheduled in several towns ofLanao del Norte, specifically in Kolambugan and Maigo on October 17 and in Sultan Naga Dimaporo, on October 21, 2014.

IPDM and LPP will also organize another CAB Ed session on October 23 to LGU officials from 22 municipalities of Lanao del Norte. Participants to this session will include mayors, vice mayors, ABC presidents, and councilors. This session will be funded by the German Development Cooperation-Civil Peace Service (GIZ CPS).

Topics : ipdm  peace process