MANILA – Malacanang on Wednesday said it would be too early to comment on the proposed version of the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) by Senator Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ Marcos Jr.
”It would be too early to comment because the Senate has to deliberate first on the proposed version by Sen. Marcos,” Presidential Spokesperson Edwin Lacierda said in a press briefing.
Lacierda said even Malacanang has not yet seen the Marcos’s version of the BBL which the senator renamed as Basic Law on the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region (BAR).
”I haven’t seen the report. It’s too far down the road to speak of a veto. Let’s wait for the deliberations before the Senate,” Lacierda said.
Marcos is set to deliver sponsorship at the Senate plenary on the proposed BBL on Wednesday.
Lacierda said what is important is Congress would pass a BBL version that will benefit “our Muslim brothers and also Muslim Mindanao.
”Remember that this is one of the most neglected areas in the country and it’s high-time for us to make sure that even Muslim Mindanao should benefit from the improvements that we are now experiencing,” Lacierda said.
”That’s the reason why it is the kind of change that President Aquino want to do in Muslim Mindanao,” he added.
Lacierda also said he will not be surprised if the BBL will be used as political issue by some politicians in the next year’s elections.
”I think any issue can be used as a political issue, but our concern and our burden is to make sure that no one should be left behind. That’s the charge that the President has promised to keep and that’s a commitment on our part,” he explained.
Lacierda said the new Bangsamoro political entity should make sure the benefits that Gov. Mujiv Hataman started under the present Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) should continue for the benefit of the people in Mindanao.
”And that’s why we need an institutional framework to make sure that the benefits, improvements will really redound to the benefit of Muslim Mindanao,” Lacierda said.
Last Monday, Marcos finally filed the BBL’s committee report after it garnered at least 17 signatures from his colleagues.
Marcos said at least 80 percent of the BBL provisions have been amended to make sure all the stakeholders will be involved in the proposed Bangsamoro government.