Senate okays bill on Bangsamoro Organic Law
After months of grueling deliberations, the Senate finally ratified on Monday the proposed Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL) that would replace the one that created the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM).
The BOL’s ratification came just hours before President Rodrigo Duterte’s state of the nation address slated at 4 pm this Monday.
Once ratified by the Senate and the House of Representatives, the measure will be transmitted to the President for signing.
The BOL, formerly known as Bangsamoro Basic Law, would establish the new region called as Bangsamoro ARMM or BARMM.
The new region will cover the existing areas in the ARMM: Basilan, Sulu, Tawi-Tawi, Lanao del Sur and Maguindanao, while six towns in Lanao del Norte and 39 barangays in North Cotabato will be asked to vote whether to be included or not in the BARMM.
“The 6 towns and 39 Barangays will vote in a one-time plebiscite to determine if majority of its peoples want to belong to the Bangsamoro,” Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri said when he released the highlights of the measure in a statement last week.
“However, majority of voters in the mother units of these should also vote in favor of joining the Bangsamoro for these to be part of the territorial jurisdiction of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao,” Zubiri said.
He identified the six municipalities as Baloi, Munai, Nunungan, Pantar, Tagoloan, and Tangkal in Lanao del Norte. Meanwhile, the 39 barangays are in Aleosan, Carmen, Kabacan, Midsayap, Pigkawayan, and Pikit in North Cotabato. /cbb
READ: Zubiri releases highlights of Bangsamoro Organic Law
