MANILA – House Speaker Sonny Belmonte spoke up in defense of the target set by Congress to work towards enacting the Bangsamoro Basic Law by June 30, 2015.
“We have to put a target. We cannot have a floating target. That’s the most generous target we can think of at this point. When it was brought up, it looked like a good working target but nobody can guarantee anything. Di pa rin naman nagse-settle sentiments ng a lot of people including some congressmen with respect to SAF 44 issue,” he said.
“Sa tingin ko naman hindi naman puro carrots and sticks. At the end of the day, all of us want peace for the country. Even if we pass this bill, baka magulo pa rin. That is a possibility pero pagka hindi natin ginawa the possibility becomes a probablity. At the end of the day, every Filipino wants a peaceful country. All of us rue that from being one of the most progressive, we have become close to the last,” he added.
He likewise defended President Aquino’s political clout to help pass the bill, despite the fallout from the bungled Mamasapano operation, as he expressed that people, although they are angered by the incident, “still they trust him enough that he’s still on top.”