President Aquino aims to submit draft of Bangsamoro Basic Law to Congress before July 28

President Benigno Aquino III at the signing of the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro. Malacanang Photo Bureau

MANILA — President Benigno S. Aquino III targets to submit the draft of the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) to Congress before his State of the Nation Address (SONA) in July 28 to ensure its passage within the year.

President Aquino said he and Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) Chairman Al Haj Murad Ibrahim discussed ways on how to come up with the proposed law that would ensure swift passage in Congress during their meeting in Japan early this week.

“Now, we’re putting in all of the details and I asked him if it would be possible to meet sometime next week either their panels or we in particular or our designated representatives to thresh it out and come up with that proposed measure and give it to Congress even before the SONA,” he said in a media interview on Friday.

The President stressed that there is no disagreement on the guiding principles.

“There is an agreement on how you actually work. There’s a need to further refine the language so that it really states a meeting of the minds of both parties,” he said.

The Chief Executive said the government aims to hasten the process of coming up with the draft BBL that both parties can fully support and endorse.

He assured the Filipino people that all efforts are being exerted to ensure that the proposed law is passed in timely manner.

“…Because the dream still is to give the new Bangsamoro government time to demonstrate its abilities and the time that they need as a minimum is a year and six months. So, we’re hoping that all the steps will be done that they can sit already in office by January of 2015,” President Aquino said.