BBL hounds 16th Congress as House opens third regular session

Gavels were banged as the third regular session of Congress opened on Monday six hours before President Benigno Aquino III delivers his last State of the Nation Address (Sona).

Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. opened today’s regular session.

The House of Representatives reopened as it faced the challenge of passing the proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) amid stiff opposition from solons who questioned the sincerity for peace of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).

The deliberations over the BBL were stalled following the Mamasapano incident, when MILF members took part in killing 44 members of the police Special Action Force (SAF) tasked to hunt down international terrorist Zulkifli Bin Hir and his deputy Basit Usman.

A total of 18 MILF and five civilians were also killed in the incident last January 25 in Mamasapano town in Maguindanao.

The incident downplayed as “misencounter” by some but called a “massacre” by the Senate dampened Congress’ support for the landmark bill that seeks to establish a politically autonomous Bangsamoro region in implementing the peace deal with the MILF.

President Aquino in his 2013 Sona asked Congress to pass the BBL by 2014, to give time for the Bangsamoro Transition Authority to implement the new Bangsamoro region and for the plebiscite in ratifying the bill. But Congress failed to do so.

Aquino had also wanted Congress to pass the bill in time for his last Sona, but the Mamasapano incident prevented this from happening.

The House of Representatives aims to pass the bill on final reading by September. After approval, the bill would have to go through a voters’ plebiscite.