黑料社

President Aquino on Monday offered to discuss with senators their reservations about the proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL), which swiftly hurdled a House committee after a meeting with him in Malaca帽ang.

Under fire for the alleged railroading of the bill by the House BBL committee, Aquino said he would await word from Senate President Franklin Drilon on whether he would still need to talk to senators.

鈥淚f they want to talk to me about this so that I won鈥檛 appear to be intrusive, if they would invite me to share my opinion in a meeting, why wouldn鈥檛 I do that? We鈥檙e very ready for that,鈥� the President told reporters.

While the Malaca帽ang-controlled House of Representatives was keen on passing the draft BBL by Aquino鈥檚 sixth and final State of the Nation Address (Sona) on July 27, senators were not as optimistic they could meet the deadline.

Sen. Ferdinand Marcos Jr., who heads the local government committee, said: 鈥淎ll senators do not want what happened in the House to happen in the Senate.鈥�

The President expressed confidence that legislators would 鈥渟ee that [the BBL] will withstand the test of constitutionality.鈥�

Malaca帽ang is under a tight deadline to complete the peace process with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), which has been delayed following the public backlash over the killing of 44 police commandos on Jan. 25.

The BBL to be passed by Congress will require a plebiscite. Once the BBL is ratified, the existing Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao will be considered abolished and a Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA) will be appointed.

Aquino said the proposed BTA shouldn鈥檛 be created as late as January next year, by which time 鈥渢hey won鈥檛 be able to do anything anymore.鈥�

鈥淭hen people would say they have no use,鈥� he said.

鈥楾rying to look good鈥�

Also on Monday, House leaders slammed Marcos and Sen. Francis Escudero for suggesting that the two chambers of Congress were headed for a clash due to irreconcilable versions of the proposed BBL.

鈥淭hose candidates are just trying to make themselves look good,鈥� Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. said of Escudero and Marcos.

He said the senators should first pass their version of the BBL before speaking of scenarios during the bicameral conference, when differences between the approved versions of the House and the Senate would be reconciled.

鈥淟et them pass it first before they talk of bicam,鈥� Belmonte said in a text message.

On Sunday, Escudero said it was 鈥渋mpossible鈥� that President Aquino would be able to sign the BBL before his last Sona, as the two chambers would likely have a bruising battle during the bicameral conference as a result of 鈥渧ery different versions鈥� of the measure.

Marcos vowed the Senate would not allow the 鈥渞ailroading鈥� of the bill that allegedly happened in the House.

The House BBL panel last week approved a version of the bill that was drafted in Malaca帽ang in President Aquino鈥檚 company on May 18.

The speedy approval at the committee level over three days sparked criticisms and speculations that Aquino influenced the drafting of the final version, and the subsequent voting.

Recent surveys

Cagayan de Oro Rep. Rufus Rodriguez, the committee chair, said in a telephone interview that Escudero and Marcos were taking their cue from recent surveys indicating scant popular support for the BBL.

A Pulse Asia survey in the first week of March showed that 44 percent of the 1,200 respondents polled 鈥渄isagreed鈥� with the passage of the BBL, while only 21 percent agreed. More than a third of the respondents, or 36 percent, were undecided.

Rodriguez said the amendments approved by his 75-member panel last week resolved the problems of constitutionality that were raised by the senators and other critics of the BBL.

RELATED STORIES

Aquino willing to 鈥榖reak protocol鈥� to sell BBL to senators

Senate-House clash on BBL looms

RELATED VIDEOS