MANILA, Philippines —The proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) breezed through the Lower House on Wednesday after it was certified as urgent by President Rodrigo Duterte on Tuesday.
With a vote of 226 in favor of the bill, 11 against and 2 abstentions, the proposal passed the third and final reading. None of the lawmakers proposed amendments in the plenary earlier.
The Lower House version includes amendments that Mindanao lawmakers proposed, such as conducting plebiscite only once in 120 days after the BBL is signed into law; and ensuring that the police, armed forces, Comelec and COA are still under the jurisdiction of the Philippine National Police (PNP) and Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP).
“The police and military, it should be clear that they are one police force national in scope. So no more Napolcom board in the Bangsamoro. The military no longer have to coordinate their movement protocol. Many proposed amendments have been included in the substitute bill,” said Zamboanga Representative Celso Lobregat.
However, House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez admitted that the proposed BBL might have constitutionality issues.
As pointed out earlier by Albay Representative Edcel Lagman, the Constitution should be amended first before abolishing and replacing the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) with an autonomous region on Bangsamoro.
But Alvarez said the Supreme Court would be the one to decide on the matter.
“We are not the ones to decide if it is constitutional or not. We will focus on the proposal, the BBL as a substitute to the ARMM law. That’s why we will do it now. Anybody can question the constitutionality of what we will do. The Supreme Court will decide if it’s inconsistent with the Constitution,” said House Speaker Rep. Pantaleon Alvarez. — Grace Casin | UNTV News & Rescue
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