COTABATO CITY, Feb. 15 (PNA) – Al lady solon in North Cotabato today said she really wanted the deliberations on the draft Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) to proceed, describing it a very good piece of legislation that could make or break the government’s peace efforts in southern Philippines.
“If I have my way, I want the BBL deliberations to continue since the cause of its delays have been investigated,” Rep. Nancy Catamco, 2nd district, North Cotabato, told DXND Radyo Bida in Kidapawan.
Catamco, chair of the House Committee on Indigenous Peoples and a member of a special committee on draft BBL tasked to deliberate on the proposed legislation.
Discussions of the BBL in the House plenary are yet to commence and calls for its suspension prevailed following the Mamasapano carnage that left 44 elite police, Moro rebels and civilians killed in Maguindanao.
The police surgical operation resulted in the death of Malaysian terrorist Zulkifli bin Hir alias Marwan who was tagged in the series of bombings in Mindanao. His Filipino cohort, Abdul Basit Usman, was injured but managed to escape.
Catamco said Congress has yet to discuss on at least four “highly contentious issues” draft bill that include provisions of police powers for the envisioned new political entity.
The House has been conducting inquiry on the January 25 Mamasapano carnage.
“These congressmen are interested to know about the incident because they have constituents who are attached to the issue,” Catamco said of the inquiry in aid of legislation.
Because of the incident, she said, the general feeling of the House on the draft bill has drastically changed.
“The general impression in the House was that all lawmaker from Mindanao were given a power of sort to decide on the fate of the draft law and other solons will just support it,” Catamco explained.
“After the Mamasapano incident, it changed. Many want to influence our decision,” she said.
Catamco was also alarmed at reports that some lawmakers and members of the special committee, chaired by Cagayan Rep. Rufus Rodriguez, were out to water down some provisions of the proposal. “That is unfair,” she said.
She said there was no feeling among the special committee members. I believe we need to pass the draft because it is a good legislation.
Catamco said she believed the draft bill will soon be discussed because calls for its passage are mounting and that it is for the good of everybody. (PNA)