Photo courtesy of The Philippine Star

Palace assured Duterte to certify BBL as urgent bill

• May 23, 2018
• Gandhi Kinjiyo
• HITS: 2803

Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque assured yesterday that President Rodrigo Duterte will certify the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) as urgent bill anytime soon.

In a report by ptvnews, Roque said during a press briefing that “The President promised to certify it.”

Senate President Tito Sotto and Majority Floor Leader Senator Juan Miguel Zubiri earlier had asked the President to certify Senate Bill Number 1717, an act providing the basic law for the Bangsamoro, as urgent.

The Palace spokesperson, however, said the President would certify the proposed legislation as urgent provided that it conforms to the peace deal of the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front.

In 2014, the government and the MILF signed the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro, a peace accord that aims to put an end to the decades of conflict in southern Philippines.

The MILF leadership is hopeful that the BBL will be passed ahead of the proposed shift to a federal form of government.

MILF Chairman Al Haj Murad Ebrahim had asked the government to pass the BBL as drafted by the Bangsamoro Transition Commission (BTC), a special body tasked to draft the Bangsamoro law and recommend amendments to the Philippine constitution.

If the BBL will be approved and ratified through a plebiscite, the current Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao will be deemed abolish.

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