New deadline: Bangsamoro bill in Congress before Sept 13

MANILA, Philippines – After failing to meet the target deadline, Malacañang and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) hope to submit the proposed law creating a new autonomous government in Mindanao to Congress before President Benigno Aquino leaves for Europe on Saturday, September 13.  

Chief Presidential Peace Adviser Teresita Deles said in a statement that the draft is now in its final stages. 

“The presidential review of the draft Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) was completed almost two weeks ago. On the basis of the President’s comments, there were further discussion and exchange of notes between MILF and the Office of the President, the results of which were also submitted to the President. The draft BBL is now undergoing final stages of refinement,” Deles said. 

She added: “By the estimate of MILF panel and Bangsamoro Transition Commission chair Mohagher Iqbal, the draft bill is now ‘99.99% done. It is expected to be submitted to Congress before the President leaves for Europe next week.”

Mindanews earlier quoted Iqbal as saying that the final text of the proposed law that will create the Bangsamoro government to replace the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao is already “99.99% done.”

Iqbal, however, declined to identify what the remaining issue was. He also declined to give a target deadline. 

The creation and approval of the Bangsamoro Basic Law is the next step in the peace process in Mindanao after the government and the MILF signed a final peace accord in March aimed at ending 4 decades of war that has claimed the lives of over 120,000 people. 

The envisioned Bangsamoro government will be ministerial in form, with elected members electing a chief minister among themselves. It will enjoy a block grant or automatic appropriations instead of having to get the approval of Congress for its budget. 

The composition of this ministerial form of government, and how the block grant will be calculated, have been some of the most contentious issues of the discussions. 

Under the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro, the MILF agreed to decommission a specific number of firearms and troops in certain phases in exchange for political commitments, including the passage of the basic law. 

The basic law will go through two rounds of voting before being enacted in law – in Congress and in a plebiscite. Its contents are under embargo until the bill has been filed in Congress. 

The government wants the Bangsamoro political entity, which will enjoy greater political and fiscal autonomy than the ARMM, to be established before Aquino steps down from office in 2016. – Angela Casauay/Rappler.com