LEADERS of Congress have agreed with President Rodrigo R. Duterte to have the proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) signed into law before his State of the Nation Address (SONA) in July.
“PRRD (President Rodrigo R. Duterte) will send certification Wednesday, May 30, or tomorrow after we promised him to pass it in both Houses then iron out the disagreeing provisions in (bicameral conference committee) and ratify it before the SONA (State of the Nation Address) if necessary,” Senate President Vicente C. Sotto III told reporters via text on Tuesday.
Majority Leader Rodolfo C. Fariñas of the House of Representatives confirmed the same also on Tuesday.
Leaders of Congress as well as members of the Bangsamoro Transition Commission (BTC) and security officials met with the President on Monday night to discuss the BBL, with its varied differences between the House and Senate versions.
Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process Jesus G. Dureza said of that meeting: “It was a good meeting with all leaders of the House and the Senate, including their members who expressed strongly their views on the bill. The president met separately with the leaders of the MILF (Moro Islamic Liberation Front) headed by Kagi Murad Ibrahim. Then he convened separately the government sector. The President initially expressed his own personal views and initial assessments which resonated well to all.”
The proposed BBL would establish the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region and replace the existing Autonomous Region for Muslim Mindanao (ARMM).
Senate Bill No. 1717 or the proposed BBL remained pending on second reading with many senators introducing amendments, as of Tuesday, to the bill sponsored by Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel F. Zubiri. The House of Representatives was also holding plenary discussions on the BBL as of Tuesday night.
Both chambers are expected to pass their respective versions by Wednesday, May 30, prior to the congressional break, when a bicameral conference is scheduled to tackle the congressional measure.
“We offered him (the President) a solution, if he certifies it (BBL) as urgent, we’ll approve it on third reading and then we will do everything in the (bicameral conference),” Mr. Fariñas told reporters on Tuesday.
Presidential Spokesperson Harry L. Roque confirmed on Tuesday that the President has certified the bill as urgent. “After much deliberation, the President has decided to make the House and Senate versions of the BBL as urgent and a copy of it is on its way to both Houses of Congress,” he said. — Camille A. Aguinaldo, Charmaine A. Tadalan and Arjay L. Balinbin

RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR