House panels to harmonize BBL bills

MANILA - Three house panels have created a sub-committee that will harmonize all four bills proposing the enactment of a Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL).

The unit, chaired by Zamboanga Sibugay Rep. Wilter Wee Palma II, will be represented by at least three members each from the three committees, namely the committee on local government, the committee on Muslim affairs and the committee on peace, reconciliation and unity.

The sub-committee is set to come up with a new working draft bill proposing the BBL, based on House Bills 6475, 92, 6121 and 6263.

These bills seek to repeal Republic Act 9054, entitled “An Act to Strengthen and Expand the Organic Act for the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao” and RA 6374 entitled “An Act Providing for an Organic Act for the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao”.

The said bills are authored respectively by House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez, Deputy Speaker and Maguindanao Rep. Bai Sandra Sinsuat Sema, Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and Lanao del Norte Rep. Muhamad Khalid Dimaporo.

South Cotabato District Rep. Pedro Acharon

Jr., the chairman of the committee on local government, said the creation of the subcommittee aims to grant the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao a wider range of authority in terms of politics, economy and finance.

“This is to accord the people in the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao the opportunity to chart their own future within the ambit of our constitution,” said Acharon.

Arroyo said her version of the BBL is the same as the Senate’s previous version.

“I decided that I would file the Senate version so that we can continue the deliberation where the government left off, where the legislators left off in the previous Congress,” Arroyo said.

According to Arroyo, many of the provisions in the BBL Senate version can again be adjusted because the Senate’s version took into account the constitutionality issue.

Dimaporo, meanwhile, described his bill as a standalone bill.

He said he filed the bill to put on record the perspective of Lanao del Norte.

“Our perspective in Lanao del Norte is that the BBL does not only belong to the people inside the Bangsamoro territory. The Bangsamoro Basic Law belongs to all of us in Mindanao. All of us have to benefit from the BBL,” said Dimaporo.