Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, September 5) — House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez on Tuesday said he plans to personally author a bill creating the Bangsamoro Basic Law after the Malacañang has sent its version of the bill.
Alvarez said he had asked his staff to go over the Palace’s version so they can formulate their own bill.
“Actually nasa staff ko. Sabi ko pag-aralan tapos bigyan ako ng comments. And then, before I will file it,” Alvarez said.
[Translation: Actually, the copy is with my staff. I told them to study it and give me comments and then I will file it.]
On July 17, Duterte received the draft of the BBL, which paves the way for the creation of the Bangsamoro, the successor to the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao established in 1989 through Republic Act No. 6734.
The creation of the BBL is seen as a template of what a federal state could look like.
While several congressmen have earlier filed various BBL bills which are now pending at the committee level, none has been filed yet since Malacañang submitted a new proposal to the Congress.
“Kesa hindi umaandar. Meron nang mga…nasa committee level na yung mga ibang bills na na-file so ico-consolidate na lang dun sa version nung Palace,” Alvarez said.
[Translation: Instead of not moving forward, some bills already at the committee level so it will be consolidated with the Palace’s version.]
Meanwhile, President Rodrigo Duterte on Tuesday said he is pushing for the BBL to pass in the Congress.
“I said that I hope the BBL would pass Congress. I said that I will husband it. And I’m trying to convince everybody that it is for our own, to our national interest that we start changing the unitary type into a federal type,” Duterte said.
Duterte has been pushing federalism even before running for President, emphasizing that the system would usher in peace in conflict-stricken Mindanao.
A federal government aims to set up autonomous states that have greater power over administration and resources. Under the current unitary system, authority is centralized on the national government based in Manila.
The House of Representatives on July 24 said it will delberate on the draft BBL and the shift to a federal government as it opened its second regular session.
