Bangsamoro: plebiscite by town, not by province

Neal Cruz’s report about government peace panel member Senen Bacani’s approach to the Bangsamoro plebiscite is rather disquieting, since it will be by province and not by town (“No deal on Sabah issue, gov’t panel says,” Opinion, 4/2/14). Whole populations can be stranded behind artificial borders without their consent, giving rise to a Sudeten-like situation.

In the 1996 plebiscite on the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, Muslim towns wishing to join it were unable to do so as they were in Christian majority provinces. A plebiscite by town would avoid such outcome. It should be accompanied by a willingness to redraw provincial borders.

The peace process, which we all support, is too important to be endangered by unresolved problems carried into the future.

It is no consolation to the Christians and lumad that, according to Bacani, the new entity is for all and not for Muslims alone. The new entity is being set up to address Muslim concerns, but it should not create non-Muslim concerns.

—BENITO LEGARDA JR.,

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