President Aquino, in his final State of the Nation Address (Sona) before a joint session of Congress on Monday, is expected to bat for passage of the controversial Bangsamoro basic law (BBL), an administration bill setting up a new Muslim entity that got derailed by the “massacre” of 44 police commandos by Moro rebels in Mamasapano, Maguindanao, on January 25.
Malacañang officials declined to give a preview of the major issues that Mr. Aquino would tackle in his sixth and last Sona, even as administration lawmakers anticipate a fresh pitch from the President for the BBL, with congressional support for the Palace-backed proposal sharply eroded in the wake of the so-called Mamasapano massacre.
Lawmakers representing districts outside the proposed-to-be-abolished Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) were reported to have indicated to their colleagues in informal caucuses that overwhelming public sympathy for the 44 slain Special Action Force commandos killed during a mission to nab a high-value terrorist may outweigh their desire to vote for the BBL.
Apart from the BBL, President Aquino is also expected to push early passage of other major administration bills, particularly the P3-trillion national budget for 2016.
Earlier, Senate President Franklin M. Drilon confirmed that the senators “will give the highest priority” to at least six bills soon, as Congress resumes regular sessions, including the BBL and the 2016 budget, as well as “the creation of the Department of Information and Communications Technology; the amendments to the built-operate-and-transfer law to strengthen our private-public partnership; the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration modernization; and the Freedom of Information bill.”
According to Drilon, the Senate would move to “strengthen the country’s economic fundamentals and invite more private participation to infrastructure development, [as we] work on the proposed Public-Private Partnership Act and the amendments to the Acquisition of Right-of-Way Act to speed up the process for government infrastructure projects.”
The Senate President added: “We would also push the passage into law of the Customs and Tariff Modernization Act and the Tax Incentives Monitoring and Transparency Act, to enhance trade and commerce and further transform our country into a more lucrative venue for foreign investments.”
Pointing out that these measures were already in the advanced stage of legislation, he said the Senate will also push “key reforms on the delivery of public services—such as the bill establishing a Department of Information and Communications Technology [DICT] to develop ICT systems and enhance communication services, and the Pagasa Modernization
Act, which would equip the national weather bureau with state-of-the-art equipment and facilities.”
“We will be looking at a very busy six months ahead. We have agreed we will meet every two weeks to monitor the priority Legislative agenda.
We will work every day until the end of the year, except for a short break in October for the filing of the certificates of candidacy and All Souls’ Day,” Drilon said.
Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. said both chambers of Congress are set to pass the FOI, the proposed 2016 P3.002-trillion national budget, the Bangsamoro basic law, amendments to the build-operate-transfer (BOT) law, modernization of Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration, and the creation of the DICT this year.
But they will still try to pass other important bills as well, he said.
Both chambers are set to resume session at 10 a.m. on Monday then conduct a joint session by 4 p.m. for President Aquino’s last Sona.
Under the Legislative calendar, the session is to resume from July 27 to October 9. It will have a break from October 10 to November 2. The session will again resume on November 3 to December 18.
The third and last regular session of the 16th Congress is expected to be cut short because of the 2016 national and local elections in May next year.
Importance
University of Santo Tomas economic professor Alain Jomarie Santos, meanwhile, noted the importance of these priority measures.
“The FOI bill basically proposes to safeguard and help the government fight against corruption. It will promote transparency,”
Santos said.
The Senate has already approved its version of the FOI while it is still pending for plenary deliberation at the lower chamber. The FOI is pushing for access to public or government documents.
Santos, however, explained that the passage of the FOI bill needs further studying.
Also, Santos said amendments to the BOT law will further strengthen the solicited mode of bidding out PPP projects. “Under the bill, any businessman or institution can build, operate, transfer shipping in the Philippines. The concern here is the flexibility of business management and business operation.”
Drilon also assured the public of the timely passage of the national budget.“We would pass the 2016 General Appropriations Act on schedule as we have done consistently under this administration, to ensure the continuous flow of funds for vital government programs and projects.” with Recto Mercene, Jovee Marie N. dela Cruz, Pia Quinto and Reicelene Joy Ignacio
7 comments
I think it is just right to prioritize the passage of BBL as it has been long delayed already. The peace process and economic development for the Muslim Region doesn’t stop in passing this bill. There’s a lot of work that need to done
A lot of work to be done in the region, home to the poorest of poor in PH and the poorest of Muslims in ASEAN. This 16th Congress (if they care to be remembered kindly and honorably by history) should pass the BBL. The House has amended it. But in the senate its being tossed about and spun by Marcos for his press releases.
Yep. Pass the BBL. I believe that our legislators are intelligent enough to know that it is the irght thing to do.
Definitely think that Mindanao has been one of the biggest issues this country has faced – for as long as I can remember, at least. Pass the BBL!
Even with this amount of money, it’s still not enough to fix the damages brought by the previous wars. Putting BBL in Pnoy’s priority list is one of his decisions that I consider as right. The Muslims have been waiting for a long time. The wait must stop already. I hope the next news that I will hear is the passage of BBL.
Passing the BBL in its substantive meaningful form will create a new region of peace and prosperity and end decades long conflict
and destitution for Muslim Filipinos.
BBL had been studied and scrutinized since then
and public consultations were held in various parts of the country. It should be passed now.