No quorum for House plenary debates on BBL

MANILA, Philippines - The scheduled resumption of plenary debates on the proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) in the House of Representatives was stalled yesterday due to lack of quorum.

Plenary discussions on the BBL were supposed to resume yesterday after the 16th Congress opened its third and final session last July 27 when President Aquino appealed to lawmakers for its passage during his final State of the Nation Address.

Leaders of the chamber, including Cagayan de Oro Rep. Rufus Rodriguez, met at around 3 p.m. or an hour before session was supposed to open, to discuss the next course of action in plenary on the BBL.

“We’re still optimistic because we’re going to do this (plenary discussions) every day,” Rodriguez told The STAR after emerging from the meeting.

He said there are still about 20 interpellators or lawmakers wanting to field questions on the BBL listed, but he remains hopeful that the measure that seeks to create a new autonomous region in Mindanao will be passed in the House by September.

Majority Leader and Mandaluyong City Rep. Neptali Gonzales II said the chamber plans to finish plenary discussions on the BBL while the proposed P3-trillion national budget for 2016 is still being deliberated at the committee level.

Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. earlier said the BBL remains a priority of the House despite it facing stiff opposition over its apparent unconstitutional provisions.

He said the conflicts in the Bangsamoro “have taken on different forms, rooted in passions that feed on discrimination and deprivations that are fueled by poverty” as he urged Congress to address the longstanding grievances of the Bangsamoro people by empowering them to fully provide for their self-expression and development.