De Lima supports Duterte’s call to pass BBL
Sen. Leila de Lima said the draft Bangsamoro Basic Law only needs some tweaking or fine tuning of provisions to hurdle any constitutional challenge. For her, Filipinos cannot afford to miss this big shot at peace and stability in Mindanao. PPD/King Rodriguez
MANILA, Philippines — Sen. Leila de Lima supports President Rodrigo Duterte’s call for the immediate passage of the Bangsamoro Basic Law amid threats of terrorism and extremism.
“While not a perfect piece of document, the draft BBL represents a huge and monumental first step at addressing, in very concrete terms, the long-standing aspirations of our Muslim brothers and sisters. Their core aspiration is of course genuine autonomy and meaningful self-governance,” de Lima said in a statement Tuesday.
The detained senator believes the draft BBL only needs some tweaking or fine-tuning of provisions to hurdle any constitutional challenge.
For her, Filipinos cannot afford to miss this big shot at peace and stability in the region.
“The urgency in actualizing the proposed changes in the governmental, political, fiscal and justice structures for the Bangsamoro people, to supplant the discarded, deficient ARMM set-up, is most felt now, hence, imperative, given the lingering and worsening threats of terrorism and extremism in the area,” de Lima said.
She added: “Time is indeed running out. I don't see any other option, except chaos and more suffering for the people, Moros and Christians alike, in the region.”
On Sunday, Duterte called on Congress to expedite the passage of the proposed BBL.
“If we do not act on it expeditiously, I think that we are headed for trouble. We must continue to talk and I will urge Congress to fast-track it because they are getting impatient,” he warned during the media briefing before departing for Japan.
Duterte said he had committed to both the Moro Islamic Liberation Front and the Moro National Liberation Front to pass the BBL.
“That is a commitment. Not even a promise but a commitment to the Moro people,” Duterte said.
Duterte said that enacting the BBL would help boost peace in Mindanao alongside the government’s efforts to rehabilitate the war-torn city of Marawi.
The draft BBL that the Bangsamoro Transition Commission (BTC) submitted to Duterte last July 17 reached Congress in August but its transmittal did not indicate it was urgent.
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