House leader expects PNoy to certify BBL as urgent to meet June 11 deadline

A House leader expects President Benigno Aquino III to certify the proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law as urgent this week so it can be approved on third and final reading by June 11 even if the Senate version of the measure has yet to pass the committee level.

 

Cagayan de Oro Rep. Rufus Rodriguez, chair of the House ad hoc committee on the BBL, said he is optimistic that the House of Representatives can pass the bill with just four session days left before Congress adjourns sine die on Thursday.

 

“We expect the President to certify the bill as urgent this week. We’re still confident that we’ll be able to approve the BBL by June 11,” he said in a phone interview.

 

House Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr, however, said Aquino has yet to certify the measure, now called the proposed Basic Law for the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region (BLBAR), as urgent.

 

“Hopefully,” he said when asked if the chamber can meet the June 11 deadline for the Bangsamoro bill’s passage. “So far not certified,” he added.

 

The BBL, which will operationalize the peace deal between the Philippine government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), seeks to establish a new Bangsamoro political entity to replace the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM).

 

Keep the quorum

 

Plenary debates on House Bill 5811 have been ongoing since last week, with at least 25 lawmakers waiting for their turn to interpellate.

 

According to Rodriguez, at least two lawmakers have withdrawn from the list because their questions had already been asked by their colleagues on the floor.

 

But to accommodate all those who want to ask questions on the bill, Rodriguez said he has asked Belmonte for help in ensuring there will be a quorum throughout the plenary debates.

 

“I’ve requested the Speaker for help so that all the members will stay put while the plenary debates are ongoing. We just need the quorum to be maintained. If we’re able to maintain the quorum, the interpellation can go on from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m., or even midnight,” he said.

 

Last week, only a handful of House members were able to take part in plenary debates as sessions had to end early because Buhay party-list Rep. Lito Atienza kept trying to question the quorum.

 

The quorum was only met during the initial roll call but the number of lawmakers on the plenary eventually dwindled afterwards. — JDS, GMA News