The name game

Some lawmakers obviously cannot stop trying to squeeze blood from stone as part of their political grandstanding.

Several senators insisted during last hearing on the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) that the chief negotiator of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (Front), Mohagher  Iqbal, should disclose his true name to "inspire confidence" that he is sincere in the peace process with the government.

Their suspicion is that, by using an alias instead of his real name in the negotiations and in documents, the chief MILF negotiator must be hiding something.     That suspicion appears to be utterly unfounded.

The MILF is a revolutionary group operating outside the purview of   our Constitution and our laws. That is the reason why they have taken up arms in the first place. And it is de rigeur for everyone in a revolutionary organization to adopt nom de guerres for security reasons, as their families could be subjected to all sorts of surveillance, harassment, and death threats if they use their real names. 

Iqbal told the Senate that the issue is "complicated". And despite prodding by the senators, Iqbal declined to reveal his true name. It is complicated because it could bring him unwanted consequences, even death in the hands of those with whom the MILF may have crossed paths. 

We know, of course, that the senators who wanted Iqbal to reveal his true name would have been unwilling or unable to give an ironclad guarantee of his safety and security and assume full responsibility if anything happened to him.

The peace process still has a long way to go, despite the comprehensive peace agreement between the government and the MILF. The next step is the establishment of the Bangsamoro region embodied in the BBL. The problem is that our legislators and critics of the BBL may not have even read and understood the draft law. So they want to focus attention on themselves. Sen. Tito Sotto even walked out ostensibly because he did not want to talk to someone he did not know. We can be reasonably sure he has not read the entire BBL because he's too busy with Eat Bulaga.

Even if the BBL is passed by the legislature, that's not the end of the peace process. It can be questioned before the Supreme Court. And the test of the pudding is in the eating. The Bangsamoro should be given the chance to work. And that's when Iqbal and the other MILF leaders have promised to reveal their true identities.

Let's stop needling the MILF leaders to reveal their true identities at this juncture because it’s a non-issue. -END-