Bangsamoro groups call on Padilla to withdraw bill seeking new Muslim region

MANILA, Philippines – The pushback against Senator Robinhood Padilla’s proposal to create a second Muslim-majority region in Mindanao is intensifying with a network of Bangsamoro groups calling on him to withdraw his bill which they see as a threat to peace process and a direct challenge to the Constitution.

The League of Bangsamoro Organizations (LBO), composed of over 600 groups nationwide, denounced Padilla’s Senate Bill 2879, describing it as divisive and disruptive. 

“Senate BIl 2879 undermines the unity, progress, and stability of the Bangsamoro people and raises serious concerns that cannot be ignored,” read the LBO statement.

Padilla introduced the controversial bill on November 19, proposing the creation of a new political territory in Mindanao, the Basulta Autonomous Region, encompassing the island provinces of Basilan, Sulu, and Tawi-Tawi.

His bill came against a backdrop of legal and political complexity. Basilan and Tawi-Tawi remain part of the BARMM, while Sulu’s status has been in flux since a Supreme Court (SC) ruling in September. In effect, the ruling left seven parliamentary district seats reserved for Sulu in the BARMM parliament in limbo.

The SC ruled on Sulu’s exclusion from BARMM, citing the province’s rejection of the Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL) in a 2019 plebiscite, a decision that has further deepened divisions in the five-year-old region. The ruling has affected preparations for the first scheduled parliamentary elections in the BARMM, set for May 12, 2025.

“We call on Senator Robin Padilla to stop the bill because this will promote disunity,” said Mahdie Almella, LBO spokesperson.

Among the key reasons cited by the group is that Padilla’s bill violates the peace accord between the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and the Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL), which established the BARMM. 

Creating a new region out of Basilan, Sulu, and Tawi-Tawi, they said, would put to waste the years and painstaking negotiations between the government and MILF.

Almella said Padilla’s proposal directly contravenes agreements by undermining the unity and framework that bind the Bangsamoro people and the national government.

“The (proposed) Basulta Autonomous Region fosters division among the Bangsamoro people. Instead of promoting unity and cooperation, it risks creating discord and unhealthy rivalry among different regions, groups, and sectors of the Moro population. It contradicts the fundamental principles of unity and inclusivity that underlie the BARMM,” Almella said.

The LBO also warned that the proposal would worsen existing challenges in Sulu. Instead of addressing current issues, the group said, it would disrupt service delivery, set a harmful precedent by encouraging unnecessary fragmentation, and undermine regional unity as well as the integrity and mandate of the BARMM plebiscite.

“We call on Senator Padilla and all policymakers to engage in constructive dialogue with Bangsamoro leaders and stakeholders, including representatives from BARMM and grassroots organizations,” the group stated. – Rappler.com