Review of Bangsamoro Law is to ensure it complies with comprehensive agreement, Palace says

From the Philippine News Agency (Jun 2): Review of Bangsamoro Law is to ensure it complies with comprehensive agreement, Palace says

Malacanang is reviewing the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) to ensure that it complies with the provisions of the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB), a Palace official has said.

“We are making sure that this will stand judicial scrutiny. To a large extent, we want to make sure that when it goes to Congress, it will be as smooth as possible,” Presidential Spokesperson Edwin Lacierda said during Monday’s press briefing.

He said the BBL is still being evaluated and studied by the Office of the President and the Chief Presidential Legal Counsel.

Asked why it is taking too long to transmit the BBL to Congress for approval, Lacierda answered, “It is the evaluation of the bill itself. They have to go through each and every provision just to be sure that it is in sync with the agreement.”

He said Malacanang is making sure that the BBL can stand on its own, should there be a challenge to its constitutionality.

“We can assure (Bangsamoro Transition Commission) Chair Mohagher Iqbal that the Bangsamoro Basic bill will reflect the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro and its annexes,” Lacierda added.

The CAB was signed in Malacanang last March 27, ending the decades-long conflict that has claimed the lives of hundreds of people in Mindanao.

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