PRESIDENT Rodrigo R. Duterte on Monday said he will meet with Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) leader Nur Misuari this week to discuss the terms of the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) agreeable to all. “This week, I will be in conference with everybody and after that, I will go back to, maybe Jolo, to talk to Misuari again if we can come up with an arrangement to arrive at a lasting peace,” Mr. Duterte said during the distribution of Certificates of Land Ownership Award (CLOA) to the farmers in Sultan Kudarat. Mr. Duterte said he is “racing against time” to meet the deadline he agreed on with the Moro groups. “I gave my solemn promise and I assure you, I am working hard to meet the deadline,” the President added saying that the BBL should be passed within this year. The House of Representatives is finalizing the BBL at the committee level and aims to have the bill approved by June. In the Senate, the measure is already in consideration for second reading. The BBL, if approved, will create the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region to replace the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (ARMM). — Minde Nyl R. dela Cruz
