Analyst fears BBL will turn out worse than ARMM

Political analyst Ramon Casiple on Saturday expressed apprehensions the proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) will create a region "even worse" than the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM).

Casiple, executive director of the Institute For Political and Electoral Reform, said in an interview on Super Radyo dzBB that the problem lies in the big difference between the Senate's version of the bill and the House of Representatives'.

The two chambers of Congress must reconcile their versions of the bill by July 23, the date of President Rodrigo Duterte's third State of the Nation Address (SONA), where he is expected to sign into law the final version of the measure.

"Yung problema natin dito, yung version ng House at ng Senate ay malayo sa isa't isa, lalo na dun sa mga provision na tinaggal o binago nila. Ibang set ng provision yung binago sa House eh kesa doon sa Senado," Casiple said.

"Ngayon ang usual process tinatanggap ng bawat kapulungan ang version ng kabila. Kung ganon ang mangyari, at ito ang ikinatatakot ng [Moro Islamic Liberation Front] at siguro ng iba pang nandun sa Bangsamoro, ay ang lalabas, mas mababa pa kesa sa ARMM yung kanyang ilalaman," he added.

Casiple said that lawmakers can surely settle a compromise for each provision but as a whole, the difference is tedious.

"In itself, bawat isa tingin ko kayang magkaroon ng compromise. Pero kung taken together yung direksyon ng mga pinagbago ng senado at ng House eh medyo pahirapan." 

He is worried that with all the "hot bargaining" that is sure to happen to get the bill finalized by the 23rd.

"Hindi natin alam, kasi nga pag yung mga tinaggal ng isa ay tinaggap ng kabila, it may even be worse than ARMM," Casiple said.

The BBL aims to establish the proposed Bangsamoro Autonomous Region to replace ARMM, and is expected to pave the way to solve the years-long conflict in Mindanao.

Casiple said that the passage of the BBL will solve the rebellion of the MILF, although the Moro National Liberation Front may hold judgement.

However, he says there is no assurance that this will allow the martial law in Mindanao to be lifted. —Jessica Bartolome/LBG, GMA News