MANILA — Malacañang described the failure of the House of Representatives to ratify the Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL) on Monday as a “temporary setback.”
Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said the Palace found it “unfortunate” but remained confident that President Rodrigo R. Duterte would sign it once it is finally ratified by the House.
“We find it unfortunate that the Bangsamoro Organic Law was not ratified before the adjournment of today’s session of the House of Representatives,” Roque said in a press statement.
The Bangsamoro Organic Law is one of Duterte’s priority measures, which he was expected to sign into a law before he delivers his third State of the Nation Address (SONA) on Monday afternoon.
“We consider this as a temporary setback in the administration’s goal of laying the foundation for a more genuine and lasting peace in Mindanao,” Roque said.
“We, however, remain confident that President Rodrigo Roa Duterte will sign the Bangsamoro Organic Law as soon as both houses of Congress finally ratify the bill,” he added.
The House failed to ratify the Bangsamoro Organic Law following an attempt to unseat House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez and replace him with former president and Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.
However, the Senate unanimously ratified the Bangsamoro Organic Law under the leadership of Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri.
The Bangsamoro Organic Law seeks to establish a new Bangsamoro political entity with more autonomy. (Azer Parrocha/PNA)
