Senate to start debate on BBL Monday

MANILA (PNA) – The Senate is set to begin on Monday its plenary debates on substitute bill for the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL), a proposed law that will replace the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (ARMM).Although it took his Senate committee on local government 14 public hearings to get the side of all the stakeholders, panel chairman Sen. Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ Marcos Jr. is expecting a smooth sailing discussion on the floor.”I think smooth sailing because we already knew the subject matter that we’re going to discuss and there is no need for big preparation because we have detailed scrutiny of the substitute bill,” Marcos said in an interview with dzBB.Marcos expressed optimism that he will be able to explain to his colleagues the substitute bill entitled Basic Law on the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region.”We prepared the materials, including the research material that we used in writing the substitute bill so that we will be able to explain to the senators why we change the BBL,” Marcos said.Compared to the claim of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) that he changed 100 percent the BBL, Marcos said he amended only 80 percent of the Malacanang-backed bill particularly the unconstitutional provisions.”It’s impossible that more than 100 percent have been changed. Perhaps, they (MILF) just wanted to return the original draft. It will not happen,” Marcos said.”Anyway, it’s out of my hand now. I just submitted the substitute bill. I did what I have to do to make legal the substitute bill,” he added.Last week, Marcos filed the committee report of the bill which, if passed into law, will create a new Bangsamoro political entity in Mindanao.The BBL draft was a product of two agreements – Framework Agreement on the Bangsamoro (FAB) and the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB) between the Philippine government and the MILF. (PNA)CTB/JFM