Two House panels OK Duterte-backed BBL proposal

Two committees of the House of Representatives have approved a bill seeking to provide for the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) that President Rodrigo Duterte has been pushing.

In their meeting on Monday, the House Committee on Muslim Affairs, voting 5-3, and the Special Committee on Peace, Unity and Reconcilation, voting 6-4, approved the motion to pass House Bill 6475 as the BBL version, retaining all of its provisions.

A third House panel handling the bill, the Committee on Local Government, rejected the motion, voting 1-9.

Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez introduced House Bill 6475 to the House of Representatives, which was based on the recommendation of the Bangsamoro Transition Commission to Duterte.

Three other bills of the same purpose have also been filed: House Bills 92, 6121 and 6263 authored by Maguindanao Representative Bai Sandra Sema, Pampanga Representative Gloria Macapagal Arroyo and Lanao del Norte Representative Mohamad Khalid Dimaporo, respectively.

The House panels will meet again at the resumption of sessions on May 15 to approve the committee report on House Bill 6475.

The bill aims to establish a political entity, provide for a basic structure of government to recognize the justness and legitimacy of the cause of the Bangsamoro people and their desire to chart their own political future through a democratic process securing their identity and allowing self-governance.

Under this measure, the Bangsamoro territory would still be a part of the Philippines.

It also determines the core territory of the Bangsamoro, which would be composed of:

• the present geographical area of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM);
• the municipalities of Baloi, Munai, Nunungan, Pantar, Tagolan and Tangkal in the province of Lanao del Norte and all other barangays in the municipalities of Kabacan, Carmen, Aleosan, Pigkawayan, Pikit, and Midsayap that voted for inclusion in the ARMM during the 2001 plebiscite
• the cities of Cotabato and Isabela; and
• all other contiguous areas where there is resolution of the local government unit or a petition of at least 10 percent of the registered voters in the area asking for their inclusion at least two months prior to the conduct of the ratification of the Basic Law and the process of delimitation of the Bangsamoro

A popular ratification will be conducted among the Bangsamoro people to ensure the acceptability of the BBL in the core areas.

House Bill 6475 also retains the power and control of the central government over defense and external security.

The central government will establish a Bangsamoro Military Command of the Armed Forces of the Philippines.

A Bangsamoro Police will also be created to enforce laws and maintain peace and order in the region, and will be made part of the Philippine National Police.

The BBL counterpart bill at the Senate, introduced by Senator Miguel Zubiri, is currently in the period of interpellation.

Zubiri, chairperson of the Senate subcommittee on BBL, is aiming at passing the bill before Congress adjourns sessions on June 2. —ALG, GMA News