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Army to help educate servicemen, Moros on BOL

By Edwin Fernandez

September 27, 2018, 2:55 pm

COTABATO CITY – The Army’s 6th Infantry Division (ID) will help educate the public, including its men and women in the military service, about the Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL).

Maj. Gen. Cirilito Sobejana, 6th ID commander, however, made it clear that the information and education drive does not aim to campaign for or against the BOL, which is scheduled for a plebiscite on Jan. 21, 2019.

Sobejana issued the statement during Wednesday's Maguindanao Provincial Peace and Order Council meeting, presided by Maguindanao Gov. Esmael Mangudadatu in Buluan town of the province.

“We will never interfere but we will help educate the voters in our simple way that will start within the organization,” Sobejana said.

During the meeting, Mangudadatu reiterated his “yes” stance on the BOL.

“I have been campaigning for its approval because I am convinced it will help improve the lives of our people,” Mangudadatu said, adding that majority of the incumbent political leaders in the province also support the BOL.

The BOL plebiscite will take place in the five provinces of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), as well as the six towns of Lanao del Norte and 39 villages in North Cotabato. Residents in these areas will be asked during the plebiscite to vote in favor or against the BOL, an enabling law that will determine the composition of new Bangsamoro political entity.

The law is the final step of the government peace process with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF). It will replace the current ARMM setup.

Sobejana added that the officers and enlisted personnel of the 6th ID, composed of three Army brigades, a Marine brigade, and other Army units, are all supportive of the Mindanao peace process and educating its personnel is one of its contributions to the government's desire to establish peace in the island. (PNA)

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