Peace officials thank Congress for supporting Bangsamoro bill

MANILA, Philippines - Presidential adviser on the peace process Teresita Quintos-Deles and government peace panel chairman Miriam Coronel-Ferrer thanked yesterday the Senate and the House of Representatives for showing bipartisan support for the Bangsamoro bill and commitment to pass it into law.

The proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) was filed in the Senate on Monday as Senate Bill 2408. More than half of the senators, including four members of the minority, signed as co-authors.

Deles said the bipartisan support in the Senate is a strong gesture for peace by representatives of the Filipino people.

“We thank the Senate’s swift filing of the proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law and, more importantly, its  manifestation of bipartisan support,” she said.

“Definitely, our lawmakers have the monumental role to pass a law that serves the aspiration of the Filipino people for peace in southern Philippines.” 

Ferrer welcomed the support from the Senate majority and minority     to work together and transcend partisan politics to ensure the timely passage of the proposed BBL.

“We are thankful for these positive gestures by our esteemed lawmakers in pushing forward the Bangsamoro bill which is the legal translation of the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB), a product of 17 years of peace negotiations,” she said.

“(We) would welcome all the clarifications they (lawmakers) may seek on the background, objectives and other aspects of the draft provisions in order to achieve common understanding and unity of purpose.”

SB 2408 is expected to be referred to the Senate committee on local government chaired by  Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and the Senate committee on peace, unification and reconciliation chaired by Teofisto Guingona III.

The co-authors of SB 2408 include Senate President Franklin Drilon, Senate president pro-tempore Ralph Recto, Senate Majority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano, Senators Juan Edgardo Angara, Paolo Benigno Aquino IV, Nancy Binay, Pia Cayetano, Joseph Victor Ejercito, Francis Escudero, Gregorio Honasan, Loren Legarda, Vicente Sotto III and Guingona.

Four of the 13 co-authors – Ejercito, Sotto, Binay, and Honasan – are members of the minority.

Drilon said it only shows that “the desire for peace knows no political color.”

“With more people working on the BBL, we can better scrutinize every detail of the bill and ensure that every single word in the proposed measure will be reviewed, examined and debated upon,” he said.

Drilon has noted that the bill is expected to be passed by the end of the first quarter of 2015. – With Perseus Echeminada