BBL forum shifts to Zambo City
ZAMBOANGA CITY — Close to a thousand civic, religious and political leaders attended a forum on the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) in this city Friday, where basic and controversial provisions of the proposed measure were discussed by members of the Ad Hoc Committee of the House of Representatives with the participants here.
Sulu Rep. Habib Tupay Loong who sits as vice chair of the Ad Hoc Committee, described the forum as full of informative discussion and information as they were able to interact with leaders from this city and from Lamitan and Isabela in Basilan.
Loong said: “The people in this city are very talented and they have prepared themselves and researched well for the forum. They brought to our attention only major issues like the issue on contiguous areas or the word used in the territory provision for the Bangsamoro entity.”
At least 15 congressmen coming from six House committees – Muslim Affairs, Defense, Local Government, Mindanao Affairs, Peace and Reconciliation and Public Safety – comprise the Ad Hoc Committee that is now conducting consultation in many parts in Mindanao.
Last Thursday, the lawmakers also conducted a forum in Bongao , Tawi-Tawi where hundreds of Muslin civic, political and religious leaders, led by former Gov. Sadikul Sahali, attended.
During the forum, Loong said the most of the people in the province have chosen to be neutral at this time because they still do not have enough knowledge about the BBL.
Sahali said if BBL is beneficial to the people of the province then they will “support it” and if not they may simply “reject it.”
Members of the Ad Hoc Committee is also slated to conduct BBL in Jolo, Sulu on Wednesday, Basilan province on Thursday and in Ipil, Zamboanga Sibugay province on Friday.
For his part, Zamboanga City Rep. Celso Lobregat said the forum is one of the rare opportunities where the people here can express their feelings on the proposed BBL.
Lobregat said the BBL is a very important legislation that should be properly understood and ventilated before Congress will finally decide on the issue.