House leader eyes ratification of BBL on day of PNoy's last SONA

With less than a month left for Congress to pass the proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL), the measure might only be ratified hours before President Benigno Aquino III gives his sixth and final State of the Nation Address (SONA), a House leader said Sunday.

 

Cagayan de Oro Rep. Rufus Rodriguez, chair of the ad hoc panel on the BBL in the House of Representatives, said the House may approve the Bangsamoro bill, now called the proposed Bangsamoro Law for the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region (BLBAR) when the third regular session starts on July 27.

 

“It’s possible we can have this approved [on July 27], because at 10 a.m. we’re going to have our session and then we will have a break to welcome the president at 3 p.m. That’s precisely what we intend to do,” Rodriguez said in an interview aired over dzBB radio Sunday.

 

“The ratification by each house of Congress should be done when we resume at 10 a.m. on July 27, the last Monday of July, the start of our last [and] third regular session,” he added.

 

Senator Francis “Chiz” Escudero, however, said it is unlikely that President Benigno Aquino III will be able to sign the Bangsamoro bill into law ahead of his last SONA.

 

“Wala na talaga ‘yan (Bangsamoro bill) sa lamesa ng pangulo para mapirmahan bago mag-SONA. Malabo na ‘yan dahil maaaprubahan man ng Senado at Kamara bago mag-June 11, sigurado ako na magkaibang bersyon ‘yan, eh kailan pa magba-bicam? At kung ano pa ang naaprubahan sa bicam ay kailangang maaprubahan sa plenaryo,” he said.

 

Differences between Senate and House versions of the bill are hashed out at bicameral conference committees, the reports of which must be ratified by both houses of Congress.

 

House and Senate leaders have set a deadline of June 11 for the Bangsamoro bill to be passed on third and final reading in their respective chambers.

 

The House passed the BLBAR at the committee level last week while the measure is still under deliberation by three Senate panels.

 

Certify as urgent

 

Since there are only nine session days left before Congress adjourns sine die on June 11, Rodriguez said he and other House leaders led by Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. plan to write Aquino on Monday to ask that the Bangsamoro bill be certified as urgent.

 

He said the certification is crucial so the measure can be approved on third and final reading immediately after its approval on second reading. Unless certified urgent, bills are subject to the three-day rule, or must pass three readings on separate days.

 

“If we are not be able to [have the certification], we will have to wait for three days for the printing for the third reading of the bill,” Rodriguez said.

 

On Tuesday, the joint House committees on Appropriations and Ways and Means will deliberate on the Bangsamoro bill to discuss provisions on funding and taxation. It is expected to be introduced to the plenary by Wednesday.

 

To give lawmakers more time to debate the measure, Rodriguez said he will ask Belmonte and House Majority Leader Neptali Gonzales II for permission to start the plenary session at 10 a.m., or six hours ahead of the usual 4 p.m. schedule, and end at 12 midnight on the remaining session days.

 

While Rodriguez is confident the House can pass the Bangsamoro bill on June 11, he said he can only appeal to the Senate to approve its counterpart measure on the same date so they can convene for the bicameral discussions over the break.

 

Marcos: Two more hearings

 

Sen. Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., chair of the Senate committee on local government tackling the Bangsamoro bill, said he intends to hold two more hearings on the measure before coming out with a committee report.

 

The first hearing, scheduled on Monday, will have as resource persons representatives of  indigenous peoples (IP) and the Sultanate of Sulu while the last hearing set on June 3 will be attended by officials of the local government units within and surrounding the envisioned Bangsamoro region.

 

In a separate radio interview, Marcos said it is important to hear the views of the IPs, Sulu sultanate and local government officials about the Bangsamoro bill because it will also affect them once enacted.

 

“Kung tayo’y magiging praktikal, hindi magtatagumpay ang BBL kung hindi kasama ang lahat ng stakeholders. Kung hindi maganda ang suporta ng mga local government officials, walang mangyayari. Kapag hindi kasama ang mga sultanate — na umiiral pa rin sa mga ilang lugar sa Muslim Mindanao — mahirap masabi kung magiging maganda ang takbo ng BBL,” he said.

 

After the hearings, Marcos said his committee also intends to conduct a section-by-section scrutiny of the Bangsamoro bill, similar to what Rodriguez’s panel did.

 

He said he wants to come out with a “good (maganda)” version of the Bangsamoro bill at the committee level so that plenary debates will be more efficient.

 

Constitutional bill

 

And while he has yet to conduct a head count of senators who will vote for or against the bill’s passage, Marcos said he is hopeful his colleagues “will do what is right” and approve a measure that adheres to the Constitution.

 

As one of the lawmakers who is supposed to defend the bill on the floor, Marcos said he will ensure his fellow senators’ concerns will be heard and addressed.

 

“Lahat ng punto na nais pag-usapan ng mga senador, bibigyan ko ng oras. Hindi ‘yun puwedeng biglain. Iisa-isahin namin ‘yan dahil marami pang mga detalyeng dapat pag-usapan,” he said.

 

“Di talaga puwedeng biglain [ang pagpasa ng BBL] dahil marami talagang mga concerns ang mga senador,” he added. — JDS, GMA News