By Camille A. Aguinaldo
THE Senate is expected to tackle the proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law, charter change, and the draft committee report on the Dengvaxia controversy when Congress resumes session on May 15, Senate President Aquilino L. Pimentel III said on Wednesday.
“For that very short session, we have to tackle the BBL….I’m also anticipating a report from Senator (Francis N.) Pangilinan’s committee on charter change…and then Dengvaxia report we will tackle it in the plenary,” he said in a media forum in Manila City.
Congress would only have three weeks of session starting May 15 before it goes on sine die adjournment on June 2.
Senate Bill No. 1717 or the proposed Basic Law for the Bangsamoro remained pending on second reading as several senators interpellated on the proposed measure until Congress went on a break on March 23.
Meanwhile, the House of Representatives last week adopted at a joint-committee level House Bill No. 6475 for the proposed BBL.
President Rodrigo R. Duterte has called on Congress to pass the proposed measure before it adjourns in June.
Senator Juan Miguel F. Zubiri, principal sponsor of the Senate bill, targeted to have the proposed measure pass by third reading on May 23.
If passed, the BBL will replace the existing Autonomous Region on Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) with the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region (BAR).
Mr. Pimentel also said he was expecting an update on the series of legislative hearings conducted by the Senate committee on constitutional amendments and revision of codes in several cities in the country.
Mr. Duterte has been pushing for constitutional amendments in order to shift the government structure into a federal form. Meanwhile, some lawmakers and business groups also favored charter change in order to change the charter’s economic provisions.
Mr. Pangilinan has said his committee would also take into consideration the output of the consultative committee (ConCom) tasked to review the 1987 Constitution.
As for the draft committee report on the Dengvaxia controversy, Mr. Pimentel is expecting debates on the report once Senate blue-ribbon committee chair Senator Richard J. Gordon presents the document to the plenary.
The draft report recommended the filing of graft charges against former president Benigno S.C. Aquino III, former health secretary Janette L. Garin, and former budget secretary Florencio B. Abad.
Several senators, such as Franklin M. Drilon and Panfilo M. Lacson, have objected to the committee’s initial findings which they said they will question on the plenary. Mr. Gordon has said the report would be presented to the plenary once Congress resumes session in May.

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