By Joann Santiago
MANILA, Jan. 20 (PNA) — Malacanang remains confident that the proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) will be approved as planned.
Sessions of both the House of Representatives and the Senate resume Tuesday this week and Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO) Secretary Herminio Coloma said they believe that lawmakers would do their part to approve the proposed law.
”Nananalig po tayo na sila mismo, bilang mga halal ng taumbayan, ay kinikilala ‘yung prayoridad ng pagpasa ng Bangsamoro Basic Law at bilang saksi na rin sa malawakan at malalimang suporta na inani nito, hindi lamang mula sa ating mga mamamayan, kundi mula sa iba’t ibang bansa na kaibigan ng ating bansa at pinaka-recent nga mismong kay Pope Francis,” he said in a briefing Tuesday.
The Malacanang official noted that lawmakers had earlier announced their commitment to support the peace process and the BBL, which to date remains at the Committee level.
He said that it was understandable for lawmakers to continue to invite people to give their insights on the provisions of the proposed law.
He even cited that some of the original proponents of the Constitution have rallied behind the BBL.
The Aquino government has made progress in putting necessary programs that promotes peace and economic growth in Mindanao.
This after representatives of the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) signed in March 2014 the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB) and submitted a draft Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) to Congress last September.
The agreement is targeted to provide political stability and economic growth in what is currently called the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), but will be called Autonomous Government of Bangsamoro once the new political entity is in place in 2016.
Under the agreement, the government and the MILF will have to share the revenues from the resource-rich region as well as on governmental power in the area. (PNA)