Palace: BBL should adhere to the Constitution

Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque INQUIRER FILE PHOTO/JOAN BONDOC

The proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) should be purged of constitutional infirmities to avoid being declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court, Malacañang said on Tuesday.

“You need to pass a BBL that’s consistent with the Philippine Constitution, simply put,” presidential spokesperson Harry Roque told a press briefing.

Roque noted that a similar effort — the memorandum of agreement on ancestral domain — during the Arroyo administration was struck down by the Supreme Court for violating the Constitution.

In December, President Duterte said he had doubts about the draft BBL passing constitutional muster.

But on Monday, Roque said the President wanted the proposal passed before Congress proceeds with Charter change.

Roque also dismissed as “speculative” suggestions that Malacañang was prioritizing the BBL over Charter change because the House of Representatives-led campaign to revise the Constitution was antagonizing the Senate due to reports that it would be abolished.

Senate President Aquilino Pimentel III conceded on Tuesday that it was easier to pass the draft BBL than amend the Constitution, which Mr. Duterte now wants Congress to prioritize amid the division between the Senate and the House over the mode of pursuing the changes.

This developed as Sen. Juan Miguel Zubiri said he had assured the President that the Senate would prioritize the proposed BBL.