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Goodbye, Farewell & Amen, BBLFebruary 3, 2016 10:11 pm
Yen Makabenta/Manila Times
I went to the atasan last Tues!ay "or a meetin# an!
!is$ussion
with a lea!in# member o" our %ouse o" &epresentati'es( )hile
inthe premises, I was enti$e! to atten! the "arewell news$on"eren$e
o" the %ouse In!epen!ent Minority lo$, some o"whose members an!
lea!ers happen to be my "rien!s an!$omra!es in past un!ertakin#s( I
assente! to the su##estion,hal"*thinkin# that it mi#ht pro!u$e some
use"ul in"ormation an!i!eas "or this $olumn(
Me!ia $on"eren$e turne! into a wakeTo my surprise, the news
$on"eren$e turne! out to be a wake(
+n! it was an unusual wake( The assemble! le#islators an!
theme!ia were there not to mourn or eulo#ie, but to per"orm
apost*mortem(
The !ea! bo!y was the an#samoro asi$ -aw .-, whose!emise ha!
been announ$e! a !ay earlier by the %ouse o"&epresentati'es,
the hilippine enate, an! Mala$aan# ala$e(
+t the me!ia $on"eren$e, three minority blo$ lea!ers
-eyte$on#ressman Martin &omual!e, uhay party*list
representati'e
-ito +tiena, an! +baka!a party*list representati'e 4onathan !e
la5ru took turns in per"ormin# last rites an! post*mortems onthe
"aile! le#islation(
They relate! how they, alon# with other opposition
lea!ers,"ou#ht the %ouse lea!ership tooth* an!* nail to thwart
thes$heme to railroa! the - throu#h the %ouse( They analye!why the
initiati'e totally an! utterly "aile! an! why last*minutepro$e!ures
to sa'e the patient were o" no a'ail(
The members o" the me!ia "o$use! their 7uestions on the basi$an!
"atal imper"e$tions o" the - as le#islation( They sou#htanswers on
why the %ouse lea!ership, with money to burn, "aile!to implement
resi!ent +7uino8s instru$tions to pass the - as atop priority(
The !is$ourse was so li'ely, I 9oine! in by throwin# in a
7uestion(
I aske! the %ouse Minority lo$, i" a"ter prolon#e! !ebate
an!$ontention o'er the - the blo$ ha! be$ome $om"ortable withusin#
the term an! name, an#samoro( I sai! that there are
many who belie'e that the name an#samoro is itsel" a
liability"or the ambitious proposal( an#samoro means Moro nation;
it
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a!'ertises an! rubs our noses on the ob9e$ti'e o" establishin#
aMoro state in hilippine territory an! within our
hilippine&epubli$( y this measure, an#sasmoro has a publi$
relationsproblem as bi# as the Islami$ 5aliphate(
'en the !irtystrata#em o" manu"a$turin# a 7uorum throu#h the
!e'i$e o"listin# as present representati'es who were not present in
thesession hall .the mo'in# present,; whi$h I !is$usse! in an
earlier
$olumn !i! not work( The simple an! intra$table "a$t was thatthe
- repelle! many %ouse members, as thou#h it was leprosy(
In the enate, the "ate o" - was seale! by the stern oppositiono"
1? senators to the ori#inal bill, parti$ularly en( Fer!inan!Mar$os
4r, who le! the =#ht a#ainst the -, an! mo'e! to writea substitute
bill(
Mamasapano Imme!iate $ause o" !eath
The imme!iate $ause o" !eath o" the -, proponents an!opponents
alike are $on'in$e!, was the massa$re o" the @@ o$ial+$tion For$e
.+F $omman!os in Mamasapano, Ma#uin!anao on4anuary 2A, 201A(
enate resi!ent Franklin
