LINAMON, Lanao del Norte, October 1, 2018 – Government troopers and members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) fought each other in a friendly sporting match here on Sunday to promote the Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL).
Allan Almoite, area manager of the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP) for Northern Mindanao, said the initiative of using basketball to disseminate the objective of the BOL comes directly from the civil society organizations, Armed Forces of the Philippines, Philippine National Police, and the MILF.
“The idea here is to use a new approach or a creative way to educate the people of the essence of the BOL. And to show to the people on the ground that the government and the MILF are on the same page in promoting peace,” he said.
Around 65 peace players composed of the Army’s 2nd, 4th, and 5th Infantry Brigades, police officers, and members of the Bangsamoro Islamic Armed Forces (BIAF) battled their way not through the barrel of the gun but through basketball and other sporting events to show unity and harmony.
Almoite said local leaders and villagers will not only get to witness and be entertained by the games but will also be informed of the salient points and provisions of the law.
The BOL was passed and signed into law by President Rodrigo Duterte to fulfill his campaign promise to implement all the signed peace agreements between the government and the Moro fronts.
The law seeks to establish a new political structure in the expanded territory for the Muslim-dominated areas in Mindanao.
A plebiscite will be held on January 21, 2019 in the current areas of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao. The cities of Cotabato and Isabela, and the province of Lanao del Norte for its six municipalities, and the province of North Cotabato for its 39 barangays will also be part of the plebiscite to determine their inclusion in the new Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).
Contiguous areas interested to join the BARMM may submit a petition two months before the scheduled plebiscite.
The sports events on Sunday were just among the series scheduled in the entire province of Lanao del Norte.
The event was launched as part of the celebration of the National Peace Consciousness Month that ended on Sunday. ###
