Aquino wants to push Bangsamoro law with conviction

MANILA, Philippines — President Benigno Aquino III said he would aggressively push for the enactment of the draft Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) in Congress.

"I want to be able to push this with conviction," the Office of the Presidential Advisor on the Peace Process (OPAPP) on Friday quoted Aquino as saying after his meeting with members of the Bangsamoro Transition Commission (BTC) yesterday.

The meeting comes amid the reported "significant points of differences" between the peace panels of the Government of the Philippines (GPH) and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) on the recommendations of the Aquino's legal team to the draft BBL.

According to the OPAPP, the President told members of the BTC to approach the drafting of the proposed BBL with an open mind and see if everything is consistent with the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB).

"Let us put ourselves in each other's shoes," Aquino said as he urged both parties to work together to bridge the differences. "Mula sa Kayo at Kami, ibalik natin sa Tayo."

The BTC, which was created to draft the BBL, submitted its proposed bill to Aquino's office on April 22 for review.

After reviewing the commented draft returned by the Palace, the BTC issued a resolution, "elevating to the Panels for clarification and resolution the outstanding issues on the draft Basic Law."

The peace panels then met in Kuala Lumpur and in Manila earlier this month, with BTC members attending as observers.

The OPAPP said due diligence is need since the President will certify the BBL as an urgent bill to fast-track its passage in Congress.

"The meticulous process of drafting the BBL will ensure that the bill, which is the legal document operationalizing the CAB, conforms to the Constitution, with its flexibilities, and embodies the true spirit and genuine intentions of the CAB—a product of 17 years of negotiations between the government and the MILF," the OPAPP said.

Aquino urged the GPH and the MILF to finalize the draft bill soon since Congress is concerned about the timeframe for the measure's enactment into law if it is not submitted soon.

"We want the Bangsamoro Transition Authority to be put in place next year, as early as possible," Aquino was quoted by the OPAPP as saying.

The peace panels are set to resume discussions on the draft BBL today.