MANILA – Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri on Monday said the proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) would be an enhanced version of the existing Organic Act for the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM).
In an interview at the sidelines of the bicameral conference on BBL, Zubiri assured that the new juridical entity called Bangsamoro would lead to an “ARMM plus” rather than an “ARMM minus”, allaying fears of a watered-down version.
“We’ve reached a consensus that whatever was in the ARMM Law, Republic Act 9054, we will retain and hopefully enhance (it),” Zubiri said.
“In other words, we do not want an ‘ARMM minus’, what we want is an ‘ARMM plus’,” he added.
Zubiri said the bicam committee decided to agree on the acceptable provisions of the bill and defer action on its contentious provisions at a later time.
He said among the contentious provisions of the proposed BBL include the territorial jurisdiction of the envisioned Bangsamoro region, wealth sharing, territorial waters, and inland bodies of water, among others.
“Whatever decision we make in the next three days, I’m hoping that it is an acceptable measure by the MILF (Moro Islamic Liberation Front), MNLF (Moro National Liberation Front), and all stakeholders,” Zubiri said.
“When I say acceptable, that means it will be agreed upon by all sides and with this agreement, no hostilities would take place,” he added.
Bangsamoro Transition Commission (BTC) head and MILF vice chairman Ghazali Jaafar, meanwhile, said they will not accept a watered-down BBL less than ARMM.
“Kung ito ay mas mababa sa (If this is lower than) ARMM, we consider it watered down,” Jaafar said.
Members of both chambers of Congress on Monday conducted a bicameral conference to reconcile the differences between their respective versions of the proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law.
The bicameral conference, spearheaded by House Majority Leader Rodolfo Fariñas and Zubiri, was held at Crowne Plaza Manila Galleria in Quezon City. The meeting will run from Monday until Friday. (Filane Mikee Cervantes/PNA)
