A book about Bangsamoro Organic Law is about to hit the shelves
By John Legaspi
Rex Education signs new authors to publish first comprehensive law book about it
Monday, January 20, 2019 (Keith Bacongco/ MANILA BULLETIN)
Prior to it being a landmark legislation in the south, many have already known the Bangsamoro Organic Law’s (BOL) aim, which is to bring peace by addressing the grievances, sentiments, and demands of Muslims in the region. That was legitimized with President Rodrigo Duterte signing the law in July 26, 2018, abolishing Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) and providing a regional government for the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).
While the law is fairly new, its ratification was followed almost immediately by the challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic. Thus, there remains to be little literature that dive into the specifics of the BOL.
To give everyone a better understanding of the law, Rex Education is set to publish a book that will encapsulate what the BOL is all about, including its interplay with the Philippine legal system.
Dubbed as “Moral Governance: An Introduction to the Bangsamoro Organic Law,” the book will be authored by five distinguished lawyers: Mohammad Muktadir Ahmad Estrella, Attorney VI, Chief of the Legal Services Division of the Civil Service Commission for the BARMM and senior lecturer at the University of the Philippines Manila and Notre Dame University College of Law; Kevin Buen L. Marquez, associate solicitor at the Office of the Solicitor General; and partners at PALM Law Joss Allen M. Pilapil, Jake Ogario Leoncini, and Xavier Alexen R. Aseron.
“This is a peace legislation aimed to bring just peace in Muslim Mindanao by addressing centuries worth of historical injustices committed against the Bangsamoro,” the authors says. “The Bangsamoro Government is the only parliamentary form of government in the Philippines. Thus, there is an existing need and interest to explain how a parliamentary set-up in an autonomous regional government works in a presidential form of national government within the parameters of the 1987 Philippine Constitution.”
To aid students and practitioners of law, the book aims to introduce a unified understanding about the direct relationship between Bangsamoro history and existing legal mechanisms within the 1987 Philippine Constitution that recognize autonomy in Muslim Mindanao. It also seeks to promote continuous education and awareness among students and law practitioners about a landmark law that is set to change the country and its citizens.
“Rex Education has always been on the forefront of lifelong learning, as seen in its comprehensive Edukampyon campaign,” the publishing house says. “The goal of the advocacy is to inspire all schools, all teachers, and all partners in learning to become duty bearers and help shape whole Filipino learners who are healthy, safe, engaged, supported, challenged, and values-oriented.”
The book is in production and is set to be released in the second half of 2021. When the book is published, it will be available on Rex Book Stores nationwide and through the Rex E-store.