TUBOD, LANAO DEL NORTE – Lawmakers in the Lower House tackling the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) are optimistic they can pass the measure in time for the State of the Nation Address (Sona) of President Rodrigo Duterte in July.
Tawi-Tawi Rep. Ruby Sahali, House committee chair on Peace, Reconciliation and Unity, said they are now fine-tuning all BBL provisions and expect to submit it to the plenary for approval this May.
“We hope [the plenary] can pass it before the adjournment,” Sahali told reporters after the conduct of the consultative meeting with local government officials and other stakeholders at the Mindanao Civic Center gymnasium in this town on Thursday (March 16).
On Friday, Sahali and other committee members will be in Marawi City to wrap up the last leg of the BBL consultation held in the Lanao provinces.
At present, the concerned committees have deliberated on the 13th article of the BBL, which includes the Bangsamoro economy and social justice, equitable and social development, among others.
Sahahi described the BBL as a “top priority legislation,” noting that all the concerned committees are working hard to iron out any issues in the proposed legislation.
Once passed into law, the BBL will lead to the creation of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region that would replace the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), but with added features.
During the consultation here, leaders from the civil society, local government and religious sectors voiced out their stand on the BBL.
Acmad Guro, an imam from Matungao, Lanao del Norte, described the BBL as a “win-win solution to the Bangsamoro problem.” He called on President Rodrigo Duterte not “to repeat the mistakes of the past presidencies who failed to address the issues and concerns of the Moro people.”
For his part, Iligan City Mayor Celso Regencia raised the BBL provision on “contiguous territory” and wanted BBL proponents to make a clearcut delineation of boundaries for the new Bangsamoro region.
“The territory of the Bangsamoro should be definite and should not be increased or changed in size by annexing adjacent areas,” Mayor Regencia said.
For her part, Lanao del Norte Gov. Imelda Quibranza-Dimaporo said the national government must conduct another round of information dissemination, especially in areas that will be affected once the BBL is enacted into law. (Jigger J. Jerusalem/PNA)
