Marcos: Exclusion of stakeholders brought to fore in BBL hearings

Video by Noy Morcoso/INQUIRER.net

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines—After two straight public hearings in Mindanao, Sen. Ferdinand Marcos Jr. says the issue of exclusion of various stakeholders during the process of drafting the proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) has been revealed.

“Inclusivity is the biggest issue that came out during the hearings,” Marcos said in a press briefing after the Senate public hearing on the BBL at the Royce Convention Center here on Thursday.

Sen. Ferdinand Marcos Jr. RAFFY LERMA/INQUIRER PHOTO

The senator said that in the Zamboanga hearing, he was able to learn that Zamboanga City did not want to be included in the Bangsamoro entity and that the rights of the various indigenous groups should be upheld.

He said that it is crucial to conduct hearings in the different provinces in Mindanao.

“There is no substitute to talking to the locals on their take on national issues,” the senator earlier said.

During the hearing, representatives from the church, business and the academic sectors were able to air their side on the BBL.

After the hearings in Jolo and Zamboanga, Marcos said he would allot the remaining nine session days in the Senate to hear the stance of some relevant stakeholders in the BBL which included the local government officials from the provinces under the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) and the various sultanates and royal houses in Mindanao.

He stressed the importance of forging a peace agreement in which all sectors have been included in the peace process.

The senator has earlier said that on the passage of the BBL, his priority is to “make it right” even if it won’t be passed under the 15th Congress.