Aquino, Hontiveros: Prioritize BBL passage over Cha-cha

MARAWI CITY – Opposition Senators Bam Aquino and Risa Hontiveros said on Friday that the passage of the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) should be prioritized over Charter change (Cha-cha).

In an interview after a visit to Marawi City’s “ground zero,” the two legislators agreed that the approval of the BBL should be fast tracked to prevent the resurgence of violent extremism in Mindanao.

“Yes, I think so. I think in this case meron tayong commonality at napagkasunduan. Priority ito ng administration. Medyo rare na rin ito no na nagkasundo, so let’s take this opportunity na nagkasundo tayo sa BBL,” Aquino told reporters.

“Definitely, unahin na yung BTC (Bangsamoro Transition Commission) version ng BBL bago pa i-ram through ‘yung version ng admin ng Cha-cha,” Hotiveros said.

The proposed BBL, which seeks to establish a new autonomous region in Mindanao and replace the existing Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) , was part of the 2014 peace accord between the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).

According to a presentation of BTC Commissioner Mohagher Iqbal, the peace negotiations between the MILF the Philippine government started in 1997.

He said that in the midst of the many Bangsamoro problems such issues on ancestral domain, displaced and landless Bangsamoro, and human rights issues, among others, lies the core problem of “genuine self-governance” which the BBL seeks to address.

Senator Juan Miguel Zubiri, who chairs the Senate sub-committee on BBL, said that they are likely to release their committee report on the proposed measure by the second week of February.                     /kga