Dureza: Give BBL a chance

JOLO, Sulu - Presidential Peace Adviser Secretary Jesus G. Dureza urged officials here to rally behind the passage of the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL), which is being pushed by the Duterte administration.

“Let's give this (BBL) a chance to make it work,” he told a gathering of local officials inside the municipal hall of Jolo on Wednesday.

Dureza, who arrived here ahead of the Senate hearing on the BBL on Thursday, emphasized the “new BBL now is an improvement of the old BBL.”

He was referring to the previous BBL which failed to pass congressional scrutiny due to issues in the Constitution.

The Presidential Adviser said his presence in this island province is to ensure that the local leaders and public will be clarified on the content of the BBL.

“Jolo is the model place. What Jolo will feel will resonate to other municipalities in Sulu,” he said, adding “We would like to hear from you if there are doubts on the BBL.” “We are here to listen,” he said. According to him, it is vital for the residents in the Autonomous Region to support the creation of the new Bangsamoro government. “Even if we sign an agreement and Congress pass the law, but if there's no support from the people, nothing will happen,” he said.

“It should be acceptable to the people in order to address the historical injustices and give the Moros their right to self-determination,” he pointed out.

He said in order to achieve it, the current efforts of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process is to simultaneously implement both works in the peace process and development. PR