Marcos: 17 senators sign report on proposed Bangsamoro law

SEVENTEEN of the 24 senators have signed a committee report, containing a substitute bill for the Malacañang-backed Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL), Senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. announced on Monday.

The 17 senators who signed report, containing Senate Bill 2894 shortly titled as the “Basic Law for the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region” were Marcos, Senate President Pro Tempore Ralph Recto , Senate Majority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano, Teofisto Guingona III, Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III, Antonio Trillanes IV, Pia Cayetano, Paolo “Bam” Aquino, Lito Lapid, Loren Legarda, Sonny Angara, Cynthia Villar, and Grace Poe — all from the majority bloc.

Four members of the minority bloc – acting Minority Leader Vicente “Tito” Sotto III, Senators Joseph Victor “JV” Ejercito, Gringo Honasan and Nancy Binay – also signed the report.

But Marcos, who led the BBL deliberations in the Senate as chairman of the committee on local government, noted that some of the signatories have signed with reservations, while others said they would offer amendments to the proposed measure.

“Meron pa nga ayaw pirmahan eh dahil marami pa silang gustong introduce na amendment pero pinakiusapan ko sila at saka ni Senate President na ‘pirmahan nyo na at pag usapan natin sa floor…kung talagang maganda yung inyong amendment eh di adopt natin’ and then the process continues,” he said in an interview, referring to Senate President Franklin Drilon.

Although he affixed his signature in the report, Senator Alan Cayetano made it clear that his vote for the proposed BBL was no.

“Yes to strengthening the autonomous region that will result in a just, inclusive and lasting peace. To BBL in present form, no!” he said.

Villar, on her part, said she signed the report just to allow the bill to go to the plenary.

“This is not a yes to the bill,” she said.

The others who signed with either reservations, plan to interpellate the bill on the floor or propose amendments, were Senators Poe, Pia Cayetano, Binay, Angara, Legarda, Guingona, Trillanes and Pimentel.

“In fulfillment of my promise and in compliance with our agreement during the (senators’) caucus last week, I filed today the substitute bill which I firmly believe will establish a strong mechanism for peace in Mindanao,” Marcos said in a statement.

The senator said he would sponsor the bill on the Senate floor on Wednesday as he vowed to answer questions to be raised by his colleagues in the subsequent interpellation period.

Marcos described the proposed measure as an “all-inclusive measure since it carried the applicable advocacies, positions and proposals of all the stakeholders.”