MANILA — The Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP) called on government agencies and civil society organizations to serve as speakers in various sectoral forums and town hall meetings on the Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL) .
OPAPP Communications and Public Affairs Unit head Christian Obmerga made the call during OPAPP’s speakers’ training on BOL held at he Seda Hotel Vertis North in Quezon City Friday.
The speakers’ training is part of OPAPP’s communication campaign for the holding of a plebiscite for BOl ratification scheduled on Jan. 21, 2019.
In his opening remarks , Obmerga said the activity is aimed at equipping a pool of speakers and advocates with in-depth knowledge on the salient points of the BOL.
“Let us equip ourselves, capacitate ourselves so we will have the right, proper, and factual information (about the BOL) to communicate to the people,” Obmerga said.
Last July 26, President Rodrigo R. Duterte signed the BOL, or Republic Act No. 11054, which seeks to establish a new Bangsamoro political entity to replace the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) and achieve national rapprochement with the Moro rebel groups.
In his speech during the ceremonial reenactment of the signing of the BOL on Aug. 6, Duterte enjoined all Filipinos to participate in “constructive discussions” on the BOL, including the plebiscite.
“I ask my Bangsamoro brothers and sisters, as well as the indigenous communities and Christian settlers living within the Bangsamoro areas, to actively participate in constructive discussions about the law in your homes, in your villages, and communities,” Duterte said.
“But more importantly, I encourage you to take part in the upcoming plebiscite so that you may express your sovereign will through the ballot,” he added.
He also urged Filipinos to give the BOL a chance to succeed in providing the Bangsamoro more autonomy, and at the same time keep the country “indivisible.” ( Filane Mikee Cervantes/PNA)