Work on Bangsamoro law to begin April

MANILA, Philippines – The drafting of a legislative measure for the Bangsamoro peace plan will begin in April, according to the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP).

In a press release posted on its website, OPAPP said the Transition Commission (TransCom) will begin drafting the Bangsamoro basic law right after it holds its first en banc session on April 3.

This law will guide the Bangsamoro Transition Authority, and will replace the organic act that created the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM).

“The government panel will work closely with the Transition Commission in continuing to reach out to the public and coming up with a draft law that will embody the just aspirations of the peace negotiations,” government peace panel chair Professor Miriam Coronel-Ferrer said.

President Benigno Aquino III signed Executive Order 120 creating TransCom on December 17. An initial funding of P100,000,000 was allocated for the process.

The President named in February the members of the commission, 7 of whom represent the government, and 8 were recommended by the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).

According to OPAPP, the draft basic law will be certified as urgent by the President, submitted to Congress for passage, and subjected to a plebiscite in the proposed core territory of the Bangsamoro. Once it is ratified, ARMM will be abolished and the new Bangsamoro region will be established.

The basic law is targeted to be completed within the 16th Congress. – Rappler.com