Duterte wants BBL passed before Cha-cha
Malacañang on Wednesday said President Rodrigo Duterte preferred the approval of the proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) by Congress before proceeding with Charter change (Cha-cha).
“He has said that three times,” presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said.
There were reports over the weekend that Mr. Duterte, returning from a visit to India, said in Davao City that he wanted Cha-cha before passing the BBL.
In a text message, Roque said the President’s statements at the Davao airport were “unclear.”
“Many reported that the President wanted federalism first, but (his) previous statements were very clear — and I heard him at least three times — that the BBL should really come first,” he said.
Constitutional infirmities
“My understanding is he hasn’t changed his mind and that he’s still wants BBL before federalism,” Roque added.
On Tuesday, retired Supreme Court Justice Adolfo Azcuna said the draft BBL bills in the Senate were free of constitutional infirmities.
“I was pleasantly surprised, Mr. Chairman, when I went over four Senate bills … precisely to look at possible constitutional infirmities and I could not find any,” Azcuna told the Senate subcommittee on the BBL.
The proposed BBL was drawn up by the Bangsamoro Transition Commission (BTC) composed of representatives from the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).
For autonomy
The MILF, the largest Moro rebel group, signed a peace agreement with the government in 2014, dropping independence in exchange for autonomy.
Sen. Miguel Zubiri, chair of the Senate subcommittee, decided to adopt the BTC’s bill as the working draft for discussion in the Senate.
Azcuna said one “very critical” provision in the bill stated that the Bangsamoro territory should remain part of the country’s territory.
Sen. Bam Aquino said senators would prioritize passage of the bill.
“We need this law in order to address urgent and pressing issues in the Bangsamoro region. A number of senators have agreed to pass this by March,” Aquino said.
