Duterte to sign into law landmark BBL on July 23 – Fariñas

President Rodrigo Duterte will sign into law the landmark Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) on July 23 in time for his third State of the Nation Address (Sona), House Majority Leader Rodolfo Fariñas said late Monday.

“The BiCam Conference Committee Report shall be submitted for ratification by the HOR and the Senate in their Plenary sessions in the morning of Monday, July 23, 2018, with the President signing it into law in time for his State of the Nation Address at 4 p.m. of that same day,” Fariñas told reporters.

Congress leaders had a meeting with Duterte on Monday night to discuss BBL and Fariñas said the President “granted our request to certify the BBL bill as urgent in order for the HOR and the Senate to pass their respective BBL bills on 2nd and 3rd Readings before we adjourn on Wednesday.”

The House leader said the President did not impose anything on Congress, and they would have their bicameral conference committee during the break to resolve contentious provisions of the bill.

“We will then have a Bicameral (BiCam) Conference Committee during the break, that will resolve conflicting provisions of our bills in collaboration with the Executive Department and the Bangsamoro Transition Commission (BTC),” Fariñas noted.

“If we won’t resolve them, we won’t have a bill for the President to consider,” he added.   /kga