By RG Cruz in abs-cbnNEWS.com

MANILA - Cagayan de Oro Rep. Rufus Rodriguez wants to invite Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) founder Nur Nisuari and the head of the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) to congressional deliberations on the proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL).

"The committee should be brought to Mindanao for what? To be able to hear all the stakeholders - the different Muslims groups... the ulamas, everybody should be heard, even Misuari should be heard," Rodriguez said.

"He should be heard. Definitely the committee will be established then we will be definitely invite him to shed, because this is for everybody and as he is facing a criminal charge, that is to be incidental to the fact that we should hear all the sectors, all the stakeholders there including the head of the BIFF," he added.

Misuari, a former governor of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, has gone in hiding after MNLF fighters loyal to him attacked Zamboanga City last year.

He is facing charges of rebellion and crimes against humanity for the attack.

The BIFF, meanwhile, broke away from the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), which has signed a peace agreement with the Philippine government.

The BBL is expected to institutionalize the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro, which seeks to end decades-old secessionist fighting in Mindanao.

Rodriguez is reportedly one of the choices to lead a special committee on the BBL once it is filed in Congress.

“I have been asked to consider to head it, but unless there is already a resolution creating the ad hoc committee, nothing is definite and the name of the person that will be nominated who will be elected in the plenary, there is (nothing definite) on the ad hoc committee and the person heading it," he said.
 
Rodriguez said time is of the essence on the proposed BBL.

"We want to receive in Congress the Bangsamoro Basic Law so that we can start already," he said. "We should proceed with dispatch on this because we are running out of time. This was supposed to be submitted three months ago and it took now three months since that time, the signing and all of this."

"I believe that time is of the essence so that we can, as far as being from Mindanao, I hope that the law would be approved by December so that the 90-day period to prepare for the plebiscite will be in March," he added.

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