The proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) is in for a rough sailing in the Senate.
As of now, senators are divided on the constitutionality of the proposed peace measure. As of yesterday, at least 12 senators support the view of the Senate Constitutional Amendments Committee chaired by Sen. Miriam Defensor Santiago that the proposed BBL is unconstitutional.
The draft BBL should be substantially revised if it is to withstand legal scrutiny before the Supreme Court, Santiago said as majority of her 14-member committee signed the report, which was subsequently transmitted to the Senate Local Government Committee chaired by Sen. Ferdinand “Bongbong” R. Marcos Jr., the lead committee.
Senate President Franklin M. Drilon assured that senators would support the passage of the controversial measure when they see that its provisions are constitutional. He rejected insinuations that President Aquino could dangle pork barrel funds to get senators to agree to Malacañang’s version of the proposed BBL.
But Drilon reiterated there is nothing wrong if senators have a meeting with the President, although he agreed with some of his colleagues a meeting with the Chief Executive over the BBL is not necessary at this time.
The Marcos committee, the Santiago committee, and the Senate Peace, Unification and Reconciliation Committee, chaired by Sen. Teofisto Guingona III, had been tasked by the Senate leadership to fine-tune the BBL. The proposed peace measure was drafted by the secessionist Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP).
Aside from Santiago, the senators who signed the report were committee vice chairman Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel Jr., acting Senate Minority Leader Vicente Sotto III, and committee members Juan Edgardo “Sonny” Angara, Jinggoy Estrada, Guingona, Gregorio Honasan II, Manuel “Lito” Lapid, Marcos, and Cynthia A. Villar.
Senate President Pro Tempore Ralph G. Recto and Senate Majority Leader Alan Peter S. Cayetano, ex-officio members, also expressed their support for the report.
This brings the total number of senators who signed the Santiago committee report to 12.
MANILA BULLETIN
