MILF ‘softens a bit’, Senate eyes itemized budget for BBL

From the Manila Bulletin (Apr 18): MILF ‘softens a bit’, Senate eyes itemized budget for BBL

The secessionist Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) has shown signs of softening its rigid position that it will not accept a Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) if a single comma is changed by Congress.

This developed as Senate Finance Committee chairman Sen. Francis “Chiz” Escudero said he is expecting that the appropriation for the Bangsamoro government for the first year of its implementation would exceed to more than P70 billion, and thus will push for an itemized budgeting for any appropriations under the proposed Bangsamoro basic law (BBL).

Escudero said he believes that the spending package for the BBL could still go up, contrary to the assurances made by the government peace panel that the measure does not have a high price tag.

 The Annual Block Grant alone, estimated to be P27-billion, Escudero said is by far the biggest amount among the breakdown.

Mohagher Iqbal, chief negotiator of the MILF, said that the MILF stands by the original BBL as crafted “but we are open to enhancement and improvement.’’

Some MILF leaders had made noises about a possible violent reaction to a watered down BBL version.

Iqbal’s comment was made this week just before Sen. Ferdinand ‘’Bongbong’’ R. Marcos Jr., chairman of the Senate local government committee, briefed Senate reporters on what happened in his committee hearing at a separate Senate committee room on the BBL.

Marcos said the issue of the MILF chief negotiator’s use of his alias ‘’Mohagher Iqbal,’’ and refusal to reveal his true identity took about two hours of the committee’s time last Monday.

During that press briefing, Marcos noted that the MILF ‘’has softened that position a little bit.’’

Marcos then asked the MILF to be reasonable on amendments to be done by legislators to make the BBL acceptable to both sides.

Sen. Miriam Defensor Santiago, chairperson of the Senate constitutional amendments committee, heard the views of top constitutionalists of the country on the constitutional issues surrounding the BBL.

Santiago later said that she found the BBL unconstitutional as it creates a Bangsamoro sub-state within a state.

The Marcos committee is the lead committee of three committees tasked by Senate President Franklin M. Drilon to fine-tune the BBL. The two others are Santiago’s committee and the Senate peace, unification and reconciliation committee chaired by Sen. Teofisto Guingona III.

 Asked to comment on the views of the country’s constitutionalists that the BBL is unconstitutional, Iqbal said both the MILF and the Office of the Presidential Adviser for Peace Process (OPAPP) and even Malacanang made sure that nothing in the BBL as crafted should be regarded as unconstitutional.

Asked how could this be done, Iqbal said the BBL should be looked into ‘’provision for provision.’’

Marcos said he does not feel at ease with Iqbal’s intransigence on his refusal to reveal his true identity although Senate Majority Leader Alan Peter S. Cayetano said the real identity of Iqbal is ‘’Datucan Abas.’’

Iqbal had admitted using several aliases while negotiating for a peace accord with the Philippine government.

He, however, had assured senators that he, along with other MILF officials, would reveal their true identities after the passage of the BBL by Congress.

Marcos could not still make a definitive schedule on when the Senate would act on the BBL.

He said his committee would soon conduct public hearings in Zamboanga city and Jolo and later in Manila before drafting his committee report to be submitted for Senate floor debate.

Both the Senate and the House of Representatives are currently on a six-week recess. They resume regular session on May 4.

BLOCK GRANT SCRUTINY

 The government peace panel and neither the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) seems to have been transparent as to the exact amount of the fund that would be funneled to the block grant.

 “The proposal did not specify the exact amount of this fund. But take note that under Article XII, Section 15 of the BBL proposal, the block grant cannot be lower than the last budget received by the ARMM. For 2015, ARMM received P25.22 billion,” Escudero pointed out.

 The Senate, he said, has the right to scrutinize if government funds that would be poured in to the proposed Bangsamoro government would be delivered exactly the way as it is proposed.

 He said the budget allocated for the BBL should be itemized in the same manner appropriations of every local government unit (LGU) in the country is listed.

 “We are pouring in so much money in the region. What are we, our people, getting out of it? That’s why we have to study it carefully, specify all items carefully, fairly and judiciously,” the senator said.

 Escudero said his committee has come out with a breakdown of the total funding under the BBL measure and figured the amount is just a rough estimate provided by the peace panel.

 “This is just a ballpark figure. They can impose taxes and fees and charges on their own. They can explore and exploit natural resources and these have not yet been factored in,” Escudero explained.

 Based on the computation of the finance committee, P25.2-billion of the P70-billion will come from the Annual Block Grant; P7-billion from the Special Development Fund; P1-billion from the Transition Fund; P12.6-billion from the National Government Subsidy; P19.9-billion from the Internal Revenue Allotment (IRA); P1.7-billion from the ARMM/Bangsamoro collections; and a one-time P2.6-billion Normalization Fund.

 http://www.mb.com.ph/milf-softens-a-bit-senate-eyes-itemized-budget-for-bbl/