Senator Marcos: Peace council report shows need to amend draft BBL

The Citizen’s Peace Council report on the draft Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) showed that the proposed measure should be amended despite Malacañang’s insistence that it be passed in its present form, Sen. Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. said on Tuesday.

Sen. Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. RAFFY LERMA/INQUIRER PHOTO

“Kitang-kita natin na ang peace council ay kinikilala na may kakulangan ang BBL at merong mga bagay na kailangang palitan o ipaliwanag ng mabuti (We are able to see that the peace council recognizes the deficiencies of the BBL and that there is need to amend it or to clarify),” he said after a hearing of the Senate committee on local government.

The committee chair said the report, presented to him and Sen. Francis “Chiz” Escudero during the meeting, contradicted earlier statements from Malacañang, the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (Opapp) and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) that there was no need to revise the BBL.

“I think I can categorically state that the draft BBL, as transmitted by [President Aquino] to the Senate and the House of Representatives in its form, won’t pass either House,” Marcos added.

During the hearing, former Chief Justice Hilario Davide Jr. enumerated certain provisions needing “refinement.”

Asked by Escudero if he agreed the law should not be approved “as is,” Davide clarified they could not “simply declare unconstitutional [the BBL] when only a few [provisions] are found violative of the Constitution or perceived to be violative of the Constitution.”

However, he said, “It would be very clear from our recommendations, unless we do something about these areas … then the constitutional issue may remain.” RC

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