DAVAO CITY – Authors of the Bangsamoro bill, which is a substitute of the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL), said that it will provide continuity of Mindanao peace deals.
In a press release on Saturday, authors have also assured Senator Ferdinand Marcos Jr. that the bill currently being deliberated on the plenary of the Lower House is constitutional and responsive to the aspirations of the Bangsamoro people.
Marcos, chair of the Senate committee tackling the Bangsamoro bill in the Upper Chamber on Wednesday, said that the bill is “substantially different” from the original version that the Aquino administration is pushing for.
Marcos said that the BBL has unconstitutional provisions, including the proposed parliamentary form of the government for the Bangsamoro and its array of exclusive powers.
Meanwhile, Sulu 1st District Representative and Ad hoc Committee Vice Chair Tupay Loong appealed to his fellow lawmakers in the House as well as the Senate to pass the Bangsamoro Basic Law because “it is the country’s only opportunity for peace and development.”
“We are not asking for sovereignty. We are merely asking for the return of some of our rights such as self-determination and genuine autonomy,” Loong said.
Cagayan de Oro 2nd district Rep. and Ad hoc Committee Chair Rufus Rodriguez said that the Bangsamoro initiative of the current administration now lies in the hands of Congress.
“I hope Senate sees the importance of the passage of the BLBAR (Basic Law of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region) as it is positioned to bring complete security and stability not only in Mindanao, but for the whole country,” Rodriquez said. (Diana C. Tomale/davaotoday.com)
