Malacañang expects Duterte to sign Bangsamoro Organic Law on SONA day

Malacanang on Sunday expressed optimism that President Rodrigo Duterte would sign the proposed Bangsamoro Organic Law before his third State of the Nation Address (SONA) on Monday.

Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque made the remark amid "neutral" public response to the measure.

According to a second quarter 2018 survey of the Social Weather Stations, 31 percent agreed while 28 percent disagreed that Congress should pass the bill.

Forty percent, meanwhile, said they were undecided on the issue.

"While the public is neutral and is reserving judgment on the passage of this law based on the SWS survey, we consider this landmark measure as instrumental to our peace and security efforts in Mindanao," Roque said in a statement.

The bicameral conference committee on Wednesday last week approved its version of the then-proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law, reconciling the disagreeing provisions in the respective versions of the Senate and the House of Representatives of the measure.

Both houses will separately ratify the final version of the measure during their session in the morning of the President's SONA day.

The signing of the measure into law, meanwhile, is expected in the afternoon.

"We acknowledge the hard work of Congress and the Bangsamoro Transition Commission that brought us this historic law which would not only forge lasting peace in Mindanao but would also provide the much needed economic development in the island," Roque said. — Erwin Colcol/BM, GMA News