MANILA, Aug. 17 (PNA) — Amid calls to let the next Congress pass the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) from some members of the House of Representatives and other sectors, chief government peace negotiator Prof. Miriam Coronel-Ferrer has remained firm that passing the law now would give the country the best shot at achieving peace in Mindanao.
Ferrer said delaying the passage of the BBL and letting the next Congress under a new President consider it would be a big waste of all the time, resources and goodwill invested in securing the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB) and in coming up with the committee reports in both Houses.
“Congress can either pass this law or they can choose to throw away all the time, money, and goodwill already spent by just passing it on to the next Congress,” she said.
Ferrer, who was in the Senate anticipating the start of the deliberations on the Senate version of the Bangsamoro bill, noted that “if there’s a will, there’s a way. The power is in the hands of the legislators.”
Some legislators argued that it would be best to pass the BBL during the next Congress since majority of the implementation and oversight would happen then. Ferrer, however, countered that leaving a legislation undone would be detrimental especially for the next administration.
“I am certain that the next administration would be better off with a BBL in place. It will benefit from the enhanced political stability. The next President and Congress can then focus on other legislative measures and strengthening the reforms introduced in the region.”
Ferrer noted that if not passed, another draft BBL would have to be filed again in both Houses, requiring another round of committee hearings before the bill gets any farther from where it is now. “That’s a complete waste of millions of taxpayers’ money,” she said.
When President Benigno S. Aquino III assumed office in 2010, he immediately made the Bangsamoro peace process a priority of his administration.
In 2014, the GPH and the MILF signed the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB) which served as basis for the original BBL drafted by the Bangsamoro Transition Commission (BTC). The signing is considered a historic milestone in the storied negotiations dating back to 1997.
Continued delays
The House of Representatives currently holds three plenary sessions per week, meaning there are only 17 session days left before the House sets aside BBL debates in favor of budget deliberations expected to commence on Sept. 28. (PNA)