Senate to tackle peace council report on BBL

Senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

Senators will discuss on Tuesday the report of the Citizen’s Peace Council on the proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL).

The council, composed of sectoral leaders chosen by President Benigno Aquino III, will submit their report to Senate President Franklin Drilon and Senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., chairman of the Senate committee on local government, before the hearing on Tuesday morning.

“We want to look closer into the findings and recommendations of the peace council, particular those that would help in our task of crafting a version of the BBL that would ensure peace in Muslim Mindanao,” Marcos said in a statement.

The council, formed at the height of public outrage against the botched Mamasapano operation, is led by Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle, former Chief Justice Hilario Davide Jr., businessman Jaime Augusto Zobel de Ayala, former Ambassador to the Holy See and Malta Howard Dee, and youth leader Rohaniza Sumndad-Usman.

READ: Aquino forms peace council

The Mamasapano operation, which resulted in the deaths of 44 policemen, 17 Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) fighters and three civilians, prompted Marcos to suspend hearings on the BBL.

READ: BBL is in ‘coma,’ says Marcos

The MILF also received flak for its involvement in the encounter and was accused of being insincere in its peace negotiations with the Philippine government.

The peace council earlier told Congress that the draft BBL was “acceptable” and constitutional although there were some provisions that should be revised.

READ: Aquino peace council: BBL ‘acceptable,’ ‘constitutional’

Marcos said the committee will “consider the peace council report in the context of data (they) have gathered in previous hearings, as well as the input from the hearing of the Senate on the constitutional issues regarding the BBL.”

Expected to attend the meeting are Davide, Dee, and Sumndad-Usman.

Ateneo De Davao University President Fr. Joel Tabora will represent Tagle, while former National Economic Development Authority Secretary Cayetano Paderanga, Jr. will represent Ayala. IDL