THE MORO ISLAMIC Liberation Front (MILF) is 90% satisfied with how the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) is turning out at the House of Representatives so far, its top official said, although noting that a “major surgery” has been made on some key provisions.
A youth holds a placard supporting the peace accord between the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front during a rally at the House of Representatives on May 11. -- AFP
Asked to comment on the developments at the House ad hoc committee on the BBL this week, MILF chief negotiator Mohagher Q. Iqbal said that it is generally a “correct movement forward,” particularly with the retention of local powers and bodies on auditing, elections, civil service and human rights.
“What is happening now in the ad hoc committee is a good development,” Mr. Iqbal said in a phone interview yesterday. “But there are others that need serious consideration.”
The 75-member panel pushed through with a per-page amendment and voting on a second working draft of the BBL, which was crafted following two meetings over the weekend with President Benigno S. C. Aquino III.
Lawmakers, led by committee chairman and Cagayan de Oro Rep. Rufus B. Rodriguez (2nd district), ironed out changes to the BBL to make the proposed amendments “acceptable” and make it more compliant with the agreements forged between the government and the MILF.
Mr. Rodriguez has said that the Palace meetings were mere “dialogues” to iron out provisions of the Bangsamoro law, denying that a Malacañang draft was provided for the lawmakers’ perusal.
Speaker Feliciano R. Belmonte, Jr. said via text message that Mr. Aquino merely “asked for help to ensure the BBL’s passage.”
The second working draft was adopted last Monday as the basis of the committee’s voting this week.
As of 7 p.m., the panel has gone through more than 60 of 109 pages, accepting several -- though mostly technical -- amendments fielded by lawmakers.
The draft retained provisions for local units for auditing, civil service, human rights and elections but as “regional offices” of the central government’s constitutional bodies, contrary to Mr. Rodriguez’s earlier proposal to remove them from the bill.
However, powers of the Ombudsman to discipline erring local officials has been restored as a reserve power of the national government, alongside banking and military protocol.
The operational control of the chief minister over local police has also been restored.
“Initially, I can say that numerically speaking, 90% of the proceedings are okay. But qualitatively, there are big items and issues that were removed,” Mr. Iqbal said.
The MILF official was referring to the removal of the wali or titular head of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region, which was deleted from the draft law as Mr. Rodriguez said it had the makings of a substate.
Mr. Iqbal said this was a “major surgery” on the BBL, as the wali is an “essential part of a parliamentary government” that would head the region should the government fail to do so. He also scored the transfer of the protection of indigenous peoples’ rights from being an exclusive to a concurrent power.
JUNE TARGET
Mr. Iqbal likewise pressed for Congress to meet its self-imposed June 11 target, saying it has been too long since the BBL was turned over to the Legislative eight months ago.
“The BBL is an administration bill, the government should really focus on it,” Mr. Iqbal said.
Both Messrs. Rodriguez and Belmonte said they remain “confident” that the measure will secure final approval from both the House and Senate by June.
But Majority Leader Neptali M. Gonzales II told reporters that he cannot be sure if the BBL will secure enough votes to hurdle plenary voting, adding that the June approval from Congress may as well be “wishful thinking.”
The Bangsamoro law is touted by the administration as a measure that will bring peace to
http://www.bworldonline.com/content.php?section=Nation&title=milf-says-90-satisfied-with-bangsamoro-draft-law-at-house&id=108214
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