Speaker: House now uncertain on support for BBL after Mamasapano

MANILA, Philippines – Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. on Tuesday admitted that the House of Representatives is now uncertain if it could still pass the Bangsamoro basic bill on time in the aftermath of the Mamasapano attack that involved the main benefactor Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).

In a press conference, Belmonte said while he is not saying they do not have the numbers, he cannot be certain if the chamber still has the solid support of lawmakers, some of which have constituents who were among the fallen 44 members of the Special Action Force, in time to pass the bill before the chamber goes on Holy Week break.

The bill seeks to implement the government peace deal with the MILF and create a more politically autonomous Bangsamoro political entity to replace the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.

“I’m hopeful that we will be able to do it eventually but I’m not hopeful that it can be done (before the break). I do not say that we do not have the numbers, what I say is I cannot be sure of the numbers,” Belmonte said.

He said he does not want the ad hoc Bangsamoro committee, formed to tackle the bill, to force a vote on the proposed law if only to meet its target passage by March.

“I will not hold (committee chairperson Rufus Rodriguez) to any deadlines… because I think this is not the best time to force a vote on that,” Belmonte said.

The Speaker had admitted that congressional support on the bill waned in the aftermath of the attack, but he vowed that the chamber will still support the passage of the landmark legislation.

The administration has been cautious in scuttling the Bangsamoro bill by calling for accountability from the MILF, whose sincerity in the peace talks was put in doubt due to its involvement in the clash.

The solid support of the chamber in the bill was weakened by the attack, with emotional lawmakers upstaging each other to express outrage in last week’s congressional probe on the carnage that ended in disarray.

Netizens were quick to criticize the manner of the probe as a “circus.”

MILF peace panel chair Mohagher Iqbal has said the Moro group is conducting its own probe on the carnage, saying they are equally pained at losing 18 of their fighters and in the death of 44 SAF policemen.

In a letter to the Bangsamoro ad hoc committee, Iqbal said Congress should not water down the bill and should instead accept the version of the draft bill mutually agreed by the government and MILF.

Deputy Speaker Isabela Representative Giorgidi Aggabao said this could not be and the MILF should accept the fate of the Bangsamoro bill, which would be turned inside out in the course of the congressional deliberations.

He said the MILF should let Congress weed out the unconstitutional provisions and shouldn’t expect the body to accept its version as it is.

“For certain, even as we look now on the draft BBL, there are many, many deficiencies… For him to say that we have to accept the BBL in the version that the transition committee has prepared, I think that would be unacceptable for us,” Aggabao said.

Liberal Party member Eastern Samar Rep. Ben Evardone said the MILF should not be making “threats” to the august body.

“I think Congress cannot be stampeded into approving the BBL as drafted. We should exercise our plenary powers to amend, revise and radically change any for that matter measure pending before Congress,” Evardone said.

“I think it is unfair for someone who is supposed to be a partner in seeking peace in Mindanao to be threatening Congress,” the administration ally added.