Despite being critical of President Duterte’s policies and actions for most of 2017, members of the Senate minority bloc said they are committed to “rise above partisan politics” to help ensure timely passage of the Bangsamoro basic law (BBL), which the bloc sees as the most viable route to sustainable peace and development in Mindanao.
Senate Minority Leader Franklin M. Drilon conveyed this commitment on Wednesday as senators convened committee hearings on the draft BBL, even as he is keen to “examine everything” to ensure the legislation does not run afoul of the Constitution.
“So far, from what I have seen, they seem to have addressed [the matter] and they were conscious of the constitutional limitations,” Drilon said. “We’ll see how it will actually be framed in the draft law. I haven’t read it in detail but from the presentation. It would appear that they were conscious of the limitations under the 1987 Constitution,” Drilon told reporters on the sidelines of the hearing called by the Subcommittee on the BBL, chaired by Sen. Juan Miguel F. Zubiri.
As main author of the Senate version of the BBL bill, Senate President Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III—himself a Mindanaoan—vowed the chamber will craft a measure that will pass constitutional hurdles. “I think we all want this [BBL], but we all want to pass a constitutional version,” he said.
In opening the inquiry, Zubiri—whose family has been one of Mindanao’s most prominent political leaders since the 1970s—traced the long journey to peace as various regimes tried to deal with over four decades of strife. He said, “We have to seize this golden opportunity and time is of the essence.”
For his part, Drilon sounded confident that deliberations on the BBL would be smoother this time. Congressional discussions on the BBL, following the forging of a preliminary peace pact between the Aquino administration and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), had stalled after the January 25, 2015, Mamasapano incident, when 44 elite police commandos perished during a 12-hour exchange with various armed groups, including the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, as they pursued a Malaysian terrorist.
Referring to the possible constitutional questions from the latest incarnation of the draft BBL, Drilon said, “My initial observation is they have addressed it. We will rise above political partisanship in order to support this measure, because we believe we need the Bangsamoro basic law to provide stability.”
To achieve stability and peace in Mindanao, he added, “We need a BBL that is acceptable to all. We in the opposition will cooperate and we will rise above partisan politics in order to pass this measure.”
Zubiri, for his part, also made a vow with respect to complying with his own set timeline on processing the BBL through Congress.
“I guarantee you that we will try to come out with a Bangsamoro basic law or basic bill that will be ready to plenary, hopefully by March. We’re going to do marathon hearings all the way in the first quarter of 2018,” Zubiri said in his opening statement.
The senator from Bukidnon noted the “confidence-building measures” between the MILF and Moro National Liberation Front, on one hand, with the Armed Forces of the Philippines. These groups were reported to have aided the military in fighting terrorism in Mindanao, particularly during the Marawi siege, where certain MILF leaders proved vital in communicating with various parties in the conflict.