Duterte to Congress: Expedite BBL approval

DAVAO CITY — President Duterte has appealed to Congress to expedite the approval of the proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) and creation of a federal form of government, warning of trouble in Mindanao if such initiatives are not pursued.

The President admitted that the two Muslim rebel groups have grown impatient over the delay in the peace efforts pending in Congress, referring to the new proposed BBL drafted by the 21-member Bangsamoro Transition Commission (BTC).

“I hope that Congress would expedite its approval,” Duterte said Sunday night before departing for Japan from this city.

“If we do not act on it expeditiously, I think that we are headed for a trouble. We must continue to talk and I will urge Congress to fast-track it because they are getting impatient. And I told them of the wages of how to negotiate peace. Sabi ko, ‘Sandali lang but we will comply on our side what we have promised,” he said.

Duterte assured that he would fulfill his commitments with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) and vowed they would work for a transition to a new federal set-up from a unitary form of government.

Under the proposed BBL, the government aims to create a Bangsamoro autonomous region that grants greater fiscal autonomy and territory, replacing the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM).

“Eh that is a commitment eh. Not even a promise but a commitment to the Moro people,” he said.