Duterte to ‘husband’ BBL through Congress

President Duterte INQUIRER PHOTO/JOAN BONDOC

President Duterte said he himself will “husband” the proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) until it is passed by Congress.

The President said he addressed the concerns of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) leaders about the BBL’s status in Congress when they met in Malacañang on Monday.

“Yes. I said that I hope the BBL would pass Congress. I said that I will husband it,” Mr. Duterte told reporters at the 55th anniversary celebration of Metrobank in Taguig City.

The BBL defines the basic structure of the proposed Bangsamoro autonomous state in Mindanao, a key feature of the federal form of government being pushed by Mr. Duterte and his allies.

The MILF on Saturday scored the Duterte administration for “noncompliance” with signed peace agreements, noting that no lawmaker in a Congress dominated by Duterte allies has sponsored the proposed BBL.

The group also pointed out that the draft BBL was not included on the list of the Duterte administration’s priority bills during the Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council meeting last week.

On Monday, the President met MILF leaders, including MILF chair Al Haj Murad Ebrahim, Bangsamoro Transition Commission chair Ghazali Jaafar, MILF peace panel chair Mohagher Iqbal, BTC Commissioner Abdulraof Macacau and BTC Executive Director Esmael Pasigan.

On the part of the government, Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process Jesus Dureza, National Security Adviser Hermogenes Esperon Jr. and actin Interior Secretary Catalino Cuy joined the meeting.

The President said he was also pushing for changes in the Constitution so that the country would have a federal form of government.

“And I’m trying to convince everybody that it is for our own – to our national interest that we start changing the unitary type into a federal type,” Mr. Duterte said.

“And that was – that’s being asked by the Visayas and Mindanao for the longest time, an equal sharing of the wealth of the nation, the taxes and all….that’s why some of them are rebellious,” he added.