The bicameral conference committee on the Bangsamoro Basic Law is expected to finish 90 percent of its work by the end of Tuesday night, panel chair Senator Juan Miguel Zubiri has said.
Zubiri told reporters that the committee had so far finished threshing out the issues in three of the six areas of concern in the proposed BBL.
These include the issues on taxation and other fiscal matters, public order and national security, and the composition of the Bangsamoro parliament.
"Less than 10 percent na lang [for tomorrow], pero yung most contentious, yung hindi namin ma-agreed upon today," he said.
Zubiri said the Senate and House panels had yet to reconcile the disagreeing provisions on territory and the plebiscite.
He said the issues boiled down to the inclusion of 39 barangays in North Cotabato and six municipalities in Lanao Del Norte to the Bangsamoro region, and the manner of the plebiscite.
"The fundamental difference of the two versions is, in the House version, it has to be majority vote of the province. In the Senate version, that is not necessary. It's just the majority vote of those municipalities," Zubiri said.
The proponents of the BBL version of the Bangsamoro Transition Commission (BTC), he said, are arguing that they will not have the chance to push for their proposals as regards territory if it is to be decided by a majority vote of the province.
Zubiri, however, cannot say that there will be a "win-win" solution for all parties when it comes to issues on the Bangsamoro territory.
"Merong uuwing luhaan," he said. "But we're making an appeal to the supporters of the Bangsamoro organic act there we're trying our best to pass a measure that is constitutionally-sound."
Peace and order
Zubiri said that the bicameral panel had decided to put the Bangsamoro police and armed forces under the direct command of the national Philippine National Police (PNP) and Armed Forces of the Philippines.
"There will be no other armed group or armed force in the region. We are going to treat this just like a province," he said.
"We have a provision here that the regional police force, the bangsamoro regional police force shall be headed by regional director who shall upon consultation with the chief minister be appointed in accordance with RA 6975," he added.
RA 6975 is the law that established the PNP.
Zubiri said senators were insisting on retaining the provision in the Senate version of the BBL proposal prohibiting the Bangsamoro parliament to procure firearms, considering that allowing it may have negative repercussions in the future.
"What if 30 years down the line, there’s a new brand of leadership that goes in the Bangsamoro and they radicalized and they want to do some foolishness and they will buy firearms tanks and airplanes with this fund?" Zubiri said.
"This law will not allow it. This provision will not allow that," he added.
Other provisions
Apart from these, Zubiri said lawmakers had retained the four major taxes that may be levied the Bangsamoro government, which are taxes on capital gains, documentary stamps, donor's tax and estate tax.
The rights of indigenous peoples are likewise retained in the BBL proposal, he said.
Moreover, the share of taxes of the Bangsamoro government with the national government will be 75 percent for the former and 25 percent for the latter, Zubiri said, adopting the version of the House.
Meanwhile, Zubiri said the panel would review the reported removal of the anti-dynasty provision in the BBL proposal.
"We will still go back to that. The problem kasi they feel that the political dynasty provision is only limited to some seats of the parliament," Zubiri said.
"So parang ang gusto ng BTC, why they are being discriminated in the anti-political dynasty when the whole country has no other political dynasty provisions. Bakit sila ang sini-single out?" he added.
Zubiri is expecting that the panel will come up with a clean and final version of the BBL proposal by Wednesday night.
Once the panel reconciles the varying provisions of the versions of the two chambers, the Senate and the House will separately ratify the measure on the opening of the Third Regular Session on July 23.
The final version of the measure will then be submitted to President Rodrigo Duterte for signing later that day, in time for his third State of the Nation Address. —NB, GMA News
Zubiri told reporters that the committee had so far finished threshing out the issues in three of the six areas of concern in the proposed BBL.
These include the issues on taxation and other fiscal matters, public order and national security, and the composition of the Bangsamoro parliament.
"Less than 10 percent na lang [for tomorrow], pero yung most contentious, yung hindi namin ma-agreed upon today," he said.
Zubiri said the Senate and House panels had yet to reconcile the disagreeing provisions on territory and the plebiscite.
He said the issues boiled down to the inclusion of 39 barangays in North Cotabato and six municipalities in Lanao Del Norte to the Bangsamoro region, and the manner of the plebiscite.
"The fundamental difference of the two versions is, in the House version, it has to be majority vote of the province. In the Senate version, that is not necessary. It's just the majority vote of those municipalities," Zubiri said.
The proponents of the BBL version of the Bangsamoro Transition Commission (BTC), he said, are arguing that they will not have the chance to push for their proposals as regards territory if it is to be decided by a majority vote of the province.
Zubiri, however, cannot say that there will be a "win-win" solution for all parties when it comes to issues on the Bangsamoro territory.
"Merong uuwing luhaan," he said. "But we're making an appeal to the supporters of the Bangsamoro organic act there we're trying our best to pass a measure that is constitutionally-sound."
Peace and order
Zubiri said that the bicameral panel had decided to put the Bangsamoro police and armed forces under the direct command of the national Philippine National Police (PNP) and Armed Forces of the Philippines.
"There will be no other armed group or armed force in the region. We are going to treat this just like a province," he said.
"We have a provision here that the regional police force, the bangsamoro regional police force shall be headed by regional director who shall upon consultation with the chief minister be appointed in accordance with RA 6975," he added.
RA 6975 is the law that established the PNP.
Zubiri said senators were insisting on retaining the provision in the Senate version of the BBL proposal prohibiting the Bangsamoro parliament to procure firearms, considering that allowing it may have negative repercussions in the future.
"What if 30 years down the line, there’s a new brand of leadership that goes in the Bangsamoro and they radicalized and they want to do some foolishness and they will buy firearms tanks and airplanes with this fund?" Zubiri said.
"This law will not allow it. This provision will not allow that," he added.
Other provisions
Apart from these, Zubiri said lawmakers had retained the four major taxes that may be levied the Bangsamoro government, which are taxes on capital gains, documentary stamps, donor's tax and estate tax.
The rights of indigenous peoples are likewise retained in the BBL proposal, he said.
Moreover, the share of taxes of the Bangsamoro government with the national government will be 75 percent for the former and 25 percent for the latter, Zubiri said, adopting the version of the House.
Meanwhile, Zubiri said the panel would review the reported removal of the anti-dynasty provision in the BBL proposal.
"We will still go back to that. The problem kasi they feel that the political dynasty provision is only limited to some seats of the parliament," Zubiri said.
"So parang ang gusto ng BTC, why they are being discriminated in the anti-political dynasty when the whole country has no other political dynasty provisions. Bakit sila ang sini-single out?" he added.
Zubiri is expecting that the panel will come up with a clean and final version of the BBL proposal by Wednesday night.
Once the panel reconciles the varying provisions of the versions of the two chambers, the Senate and the House will separately ratify the measure on the opening of the Third Regular Session on July 23.
The final version of the measure will then be submitted to President Rodrigo Duterte for signing later that day, in time for his third State of the Nation Address. —NB, GMA News
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