Duterte assures MILF: Bangsamoro a priority
President Rodrigo Duterte has assured the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) that the proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) remains an “executive priority bill.”
Presidential Spokesperson Ernesto Abella said the President made the assurance in a meeting with MILF leaders at the Malacañang Monday.
“PRRD met with the leadership of MILF yesterday to discuss, among others, their concern about social media posts critical of their handling and the progress of their BBL bill,” Abella told Palace reporters.
“The President assured them that he considers this (as) high priority and vital to the future of Mindanao and the nation,” he added.
Abella said the draft BBL will be tackled in the next meeting of the Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council on September 20.
Abella said Duterte was considering holding a meeting with Senate President Aquilino Pimentel III and House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez to pave way for the swift passage of the proposed BBL.
“He’s asking to meet with the Senate President and the Speaker of the House to facilitate the process,” he said.
The MILF issued a statement on Saturday lamenting the government’s “non-compliance” with the signed peace agreements with the rebel group as no lawmaker has sponsored the draft Moro law.
“Even the proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law, which is the legal interpretation of the FAB (Framework Agreement on the Bang- samoro) and CAB (Comprehensive Agreement on Bangsamoro), has no sponsor in Congress up to this time,” the MILF said.
“Worse, it is not listed as one of the 14 priority legislations of COngress during the recent Legislative-Development Authority Council meeting last August 29,” it added.
Duterte met with MILF chair Al Haj Murad Ebrahim, MILF vice chair and Bangsamoro Transition Committee (BTC) chair Ghazali Jaafar, MILF chief peace negotiator Mohagber Iqbal, BTC commissioner Abdularaof Macacua, and BTC executive director Es- mael Pasigan.
They were joined by Presidential Adviser on Peace Process Jesus Dureza, Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana, National Security Adviser Hermogenes Esperon Jr., acting Local Government Secretary Catalino Cuy, and Abella.