Palace insists on BBL passage within Noy’s term

MANILA, Philippines - Malacañang insisted yesterday that the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) should be passed within President Aquino’s term, rejecting the proposal of Sen. Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to let the next administration enact the measure.

Presidential Communications Operations Office Secretary Herminio Coloma said people from Mindanao have long waited for a solution to the problems caused by conflict.

“The passage of the BBL should not be disrupted anymore,” Coloma told state-run radio dzRB.

“The President is one with the leadership of Congress in giving priority to the measure,” he added.

Earlier, Marcos said the Aquino administration should just let his successor push for the passage of BBL, believing there is no longer enough time to pass the measure.

Marcos, chairman of the Senate local government committee, also said he cannot rush the drafting of the bill.

Coloma said those who are opposed to the measure should come up with a better alternative.

“If they (BBL critics) disagree on some provisions, they can discuss them in the plenary of the House and the Senate. They can discuss ways to improve the draft law and achieve the aims of the peace process,” Coloma said.

“What is important is we push for its passage because our countrymen have been waiting for concrete response to the decades-old problems of poverty caused by violence in Mindanao.”

The BBL will implement the peace agreement signed by the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front.

Under the measure, a new Bangsamoro entity with greater economic and political powers will replace the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, which Aquino labeled as “a failed experiment.”

Some critics have questioned the legality of the draft BBL that could undermine the government’s authority over the Bangsamoro region. – With Roel Pareño