The Senate Committee on Local Government chaired by Sen. Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. said yesterday that its proposed substitute Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) bill is designed to bring lasting peace in troubled Mindanao.
This does not mean that the Senate will totally disregard the draft BBL and write an entirely new proposal, he said.
“Even what we call the Palace version (of the BBL) given to the House of Representatives can be considered a substitute bill. When I say substitute bill, it only means we have to do numerous changes and not necessarily that we have to re-write the entire proposal,” Marcos said in a radio interview.
Marcos said the concerns that Malacañang and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) raised over his plans to write a substitute bill are misplaced.
After the Senate failed to pass the BBL just before it went into a six-week recess starting last Thursday, Senate President Franklin M. Drilon said the Senate may be able to pass the Marcos substitute BBL in September.
Malacañang had wanted the measure passed before the Senate and the House of Representatives adjourned sine die last Thursday, June 11.
MANILA BULLETIN
