Duterte meets with Pimentel, Alvarez on BBL today

DAVAO CITY, Philippines — President Duterte is meeting with Senate President Aquilino Pimentel III and Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez at Malacañang today to tackle the proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) now pending in Congress. 

“The President has called us both to discuss the BBL. Let us see,” Alvarez said yesterday. 

The President earlier said he is racing to meet the deadline for passage of the BBL, which he promised the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) to happen before the year ends.

“The MILF is in a hurry. I am working hard to meet the deadline for lasting peace. The burden of the deadline has been placed on us. It has to be this year,” the President said during the distribution of certificates of land ownership to farmer beneficiaries in Isulan, Sultan Kudarat the other day. 

The President said he would convince both Pimentel and Alvarez to honor government’s commitment to the MILF.

“I will tell Koko (Pimentel) and Bebot (Alvarez) that it is a commitment to the MILF. We have to honor such commitment,” the President said. 

He added that he would also talk to Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) chairman Nur Misuari about the matter. 

“Mag-usap tayo, huwag tayo mag-away-away (Let us talk, let’s not fight),” the President said. 

MILF vice chairman for political affairs Ghazali Jaafar earlier told The STAR that the President assured them of the deadline during a meeting at the Manila Enclaves Residences guesthouse last week.

“We discussed the BBL and the President assured us of the passage in its proper time and that is before the end of the year,” Jaafar said.

As this developed, Sen. Juan Miguel Zubiri has given assurance that the proposed  BBL would be approved by the Senate in May.

Responding to the statement made by President Duterte about the need to pass the BBL this year, Zubiri – chairman of the Senate local government subcommittee on the BBL – said his new timeline would see its approval on third and final reading by May 23, based on the bill’s current progress in plenary.

The BBL is in the period of interpellation at the Senate and if he could have his way, Zubiri said he would end the interpellations on May 21.

Congress is on a break and would resume session on May 15. The sessions would then be held until May 30, when the second regular session of Congress adjourns sine die.

Zubiri said the individual and committee amendments should be concluded by May 22 and once these are finalized and incorporated into the final version of the bill, it would then be approved on third and final reading.

If Duterte certifies the BBL as urgent, then the Senate can proceed to approve the bill on third reading immediately after its approval on second reading.

“So I appeal to my colleagues on the need to focus on the BBL as peace is needed in our part of the country. The BBL is the final push needed for that elusive peace,” Zubiri said.

In a letter addressed to  Pimentel dated April 2, Presidential Legislative Liaison Office secretary Adelino Sitoy relayed the directive of the President to “urge Congress to hasten the passage of the Bangsamoro bill so it can be ready for his signature” before the sine die adjournment on June 1.

Sitoy said the directive was made during the March 27 meeting called by the President in Davao City, where Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process Jesus Dureza, Jaafar and Mohagher Iqbal of the Peace Implementing Panel and other Muslim leaders were present.

“While I reported to the President during the aforesaid meeting the efforts exerted for its passage by the House of Representatives and the Senate, what the President desires is for the Bangsamoro bill to become a law before the recess,” Sitoy said. – Marvin Sy