**The Plebiscite as a Foundational Myth and Social Contract in GR 244587**
**The Plebiscite as a Foundational Myth and Social Contract in GR 244587**
The Supreme Court decision in GR 244587, while a legal text, resonates with the archetypal mythological theme of foundation and genesis. The enactment of the Organic Law and the subsequent plebiscite to establish the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region mirror the universal myth of a people defining their own territory and identity—a moment of political and social creation. Like the founding myths of ancient cities or nations, the process seeks to answer primordial questions: Who are we? What is our land? The Commission on Elections is cast in the role of a ritual arbiter, tasked with administering the sacred act of collective will, ensuring the “true will of the people” is manifested, much like an oracle interpreting divine favor for a new community.
Literarily, the narrative structure presents a classic conflict between individual dissent and collective destiny. The petitioners, residents of Cotabato City, stand as tragic or cautionary figures challenging the unfolding foundational epic. Their legal petition functions as a dramatic counterpoint, a moment of peripeteia (reversal) that tests the legitimacy of the new social order. The Court’s role is that of the chorus or wise judge in a drama, weighing the procedural integrity of the creation myth against claims of its flawed execution, ultimately affirming the process and allowing the new political narrative to proceed.
The resolution’s language itself employs a literary device akin to synecdoche, where the legal act of a plebiscite stands for the entire aspirational saga of the Bangsamoro people. Securing identity and determining territory are not merely administrative goals but are portrayed as epic quests for recognition and self-determination. The Court’s deference to the Commission on Elections, having found no grave abuse of discretion, echoes the literary trope of fate or inevitability once the proper rites have been observed. Thus, the legal decision transcends its immediate context, becoming a modern chapter in the ongoing mythological and literary saga of a people forging their political destiny.
SOURCE: GR 244587; (January, 2023)