Palace denies muscling Senate to pass BBL, cites timetable

Amid allegations of railroading, Malacañang on Saturday maintained it was not rushing the Senate to pass the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) before the Congress adjourns on June 11 and President Benigno Aquino III’s sixth State of the Nation Address (Sona) on July 27.

In an interview with Radyo ng Bayan, deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte said the Palace had been following its own timetable to ensure proper transition.

“We have to afford enough time for the transition to be in process, for the mechanism to be in place,” Valte said. “If people are thinking that Malacañang came up with a timetable just to railroad BBL’s passage, that’s not the case.”

Valte added that the Palace had been closely coordinating with senators on how to resolve reservations and differences surrounding the measure that would create a separate Bangsamoro entity in Muslim Mindanao.

“It’s very important that at certain phases, we undergo the transitions of the mechanism. That being said, we continue to work with the Senate on how to recapture the delays that we have encountered,” Valte said, adding that supporters and critics alike should study BBL provisions to know “why the timetable is in place.”

In the middle of the Senate hearing on the BBL, 12 senators led by Sen. Miriam Santiago signed a committee report calling for “substantial revisions” in the deemed unconstitutional provisions of the Malacañang draft.

READ: 12 senators back need for BBL to be ‘substantially revised’ | Santiago: BBL sure to be challenged in SC | BBL needs Charter change, says Senate report

President Aquino has offered to sit in with senators to discuss their contentions on the proposed legislation, receiving mixed responses from the upper chamber.

READ: Aquino open to dialogue with senators on BBL | Senators split on Aquino’s offer to discuss BBL | Palace downplays 12 senators’ stance

Valte also said Aquino had expressed his desire to certify the BBL as urgent, but clarified that the upcoming Sona was out of the picture.

“The President has expressed this many times, and so have we, that he intends to certify it as urgent, and it’s not because of the Sona,” she said. “There is a lot to it, leading to the plebiscite. We have to give the Commission on Elections sufficient time to prepare for the plebiscite.” RC