Monday, July 9, 2018

Duterte to sign Bangsamoro bill into law during SONA, Congress leaders say

THE proposed Bangsamoro Basic law (BBL) — a measure that abolishes the existing Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) and replaces it with Bangsamoro Region – is constitutional and will be signed into law by President Rodrigo Duterte during his third State of the Nation Address (Sona) on July 23, members of Congress said on Monday.

Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri and Majority Leader Rodolfo Fariñas of Ilocos Norte at the House of Representatives made the announcement on the first day of discussions of the bicameral conference committee on the BBL.

“In performing our duties, we should be guided with constitutionality. The Constitution is the supreme law of the land [and]sets both the latitude and delimitations of what we can incorporate in the BBL,” Zubiri said in his opening statement.

“We have to be guided by the Constitution because anything we do here will surely be questioned,” Fariñas said.

The proposed BBL provides that a duly-elected Bangsamoro Parliament will govern the Bangsamoro Region.

Under the 1987 Constitution, autonomous regions should be created in Muslim Mindanao and in the Cordilleras “consisting of provinces, cities, municipalities, and geographical areas sharing common and distinctive historical and cultural heritage, economic and social structures, and other relevant characteristics within the framework of this Constitution and the national sovereignty as well as territorial integrity of the Republic of the Philippines.”

Likewise, the 1987 Charter provides that the President will maintain general supervision over autonomous regions “to ensure that laws are faithfully executed”.

Fariñas called on his colleagues to pass the BBL in time for President Dutere’s third SONA.

“If we can come up with an acceptable version for both panels, we will present this to our respective chambers for ratification when we resume our Third Regular Session on July 23 so that the President can sign it into law in the afternoon of the same day,” Fariñas said. LLANESCA T. PANTI

No comments:

Post a Comment