Gov’t reaffirms commitment to ensuring Bangsamoro law will get congressional approval

From the Philippine News Agency (Jul 30): Gov’t reaffirms commitment to ensuring Bangsamoro law will get congressional approval

The Government of the Philippines (GPH) and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) are going to meet again to ensure that the provisions of the draft Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) will pass congressional muster before the year ends, a Malacanang official said on Wednesday.

“Well, we’d like to assure the commitment of the government with respect to pushing for the BBL. The government and the MILF panels are again going to discuss the final draft to be submitted for Congress,” Presidential Spokesman Edwin Lacierda said in a press briefing at the Palace.

He reiterated the assurance amid reports that the ground commanders of the MILF are already restless over the seeming delay in the passage of the proposed Bangsamoro law.

Citing President Benigno S. Aquino III’s statement on the proposed law in his fifth State-of-the-Nation Address (SONA) last Monday, Lacierda said the BBL will be a priority measure so it can be passed by Congress before the year ends.

“So that the Bangsamoro Transition Authority will be in place in order for them, for the Bangsamoro Juridical Entity, to participate in the synchronized national elections in 2016,” he said.

“We believe that we can continue with the timeframe that we have envisioned so that all the necessary building blocks for an effective and a truly representative bill and law will be passed by Congress,” he added.

Lacierda said the President wants a “just and fair” BBL that is acceptable to both the government and the Bangsamoro people.

“The commitment of our President during the signing of the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB), that commitment has not wavered,” he said.

Lacierda stressed that the Bangsamoro Transition Commission (BTC) drafted a bill based on the CAB.

Citing GPH chief negotiator Miriam Coronel-Ferrer, he said both peace panels are now working out issues pertaining to fiscal autonomy and the structure of the envisioned Bangsamoro government.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=1&sid=&nid=1&rid=667636