By Sammy F. Martin
MANILA, April 20 (PNA) — Cagayan de Oro City Rep. Rufus Rodriguez, chairman of the House Ad Hoc committee on Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL), on Monday said that the proposed BBL will violate the Philippine National Police (PNP) charter.
During the resumption of the hearing, Rodriguez said the BBL discussions allowing the future Bangsamoro chief minister to have the full operational control over Bangsamoro Police Force would transgress the present PNP Law which deputizes each local government unit to have authority on their respective regional police districts.
Rodriguez said the proposal under the draft BBL will ravish the local government autonomy of regions which will be included the proposed Bangsamoro Juridical Entity if the full control of the regional police force will be transfer to the region’s chief minister.
“BBL violates the PNP Law on operational control of the regional police force by the (future) chief minister of Bangsamoro region,” Rodriguez said.
Under the original BBL draft, the full operational control of the Bangsamoro Police Force will be given to its chief minister while the administrative control will remain under the National Police Commission (Napolcom).
But Antipolo City Rep. Romeo Acop said that passing the BBL may just worsen the peace situation in the present Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM).
Representing the Government Peace Panel Senen Bacani admitted that there are “imperfections” in the proposed BBL, but they will leave the matter to lawmakers to decide which portions of it are not suitable in the present Constitution.
Bacani said that they have agreed to give the full operational control of the regional police force to the future Bangsamoro chief minister for “the unity of command.”
Rodriguez earlier already vowed to pass an “acceptable” BBL to ensure its constitutionality despite treat from the leadership of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) that it will not accept a water-down version of the measure.
The lawmaker said that among the unconstitutional provisions which the panel have deleted, are authorizing the new Bangsamoro administration to have its own version of the Commission on Elections; Ombudsman; Civil Service Commission; Commission on Audit; and Commission on Human Rights, creating its defense and police forces. (PNA)