Bata Muna calls on lawmakers to continue deliberation of proposed BBL for children

Media Statement
BATA MUNA CALLS ON LAWMAKERS TO CONTINUE THE DELIBERATION OF THE PROPOSED BANGSAMORO BASIC LAW FOR CHILDREN

The delay in the deliberation of the proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) and the threat to the ongoing peace process between the Government of the Philippines and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front that the Mamasapano incident has posed is a challenge that needs to be overcome. However, the delay in the discussion of the draft law in both houses of Congress has also provided an opportunity and venue for more careful examination of the proposed law and its implications to all stakeholders.

The Bata Muna, a coalition of more than twenty (20) child-focused non-government organizations advocating for the rights of children, calls on lawmakers to continue pursuing peace through the crafting of the Bangsamoro Basic Law.

Bata Muna supports the provisions of the draft law that promote children’s rights, specifically Article IX Section 12, which reads:
Art. IX Sec. 12. Rights of Children. – The Bangsamoro Government shall respect, protect and promote the rights of the children.
Bangsamoro policies and programs must take into utmost consideration the best interest of the child, non-discrimination of children, survival and development, protection and rights of children.
The Bangsamoro Government and constituent local government units shall provide for adequate funding and effective mechanisms for implementation of this policy.

It is commendable that the provision in the draft framework law includes most of the principles of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. However, Bata Muna recommends the explicit recognition and inclusion of the child participation principle in the second paragraph of Article IX, Section 12.

Furthermore, the coalition joins the calls to strengthen the proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law by including a specific provision for the protection of children in situations of armed conflict—whether they are direct participants in hostilities, affected because of their presence in or proximity to the area of conflict, or have been displaced by armed conflict. Currently, 39,363 children are displaced due to the armed conflict in Maguindanao and North Cotabato.1

Let us continue to pursue all peaceful means to lasting peace in the country—for the sake of our children and for the future of this nation.(Philippine Legislators’ Committee on Population and Development Foundation, Inc.)