2 senior House leaders lash back vs Marcos, Escudero on BBL issue

MANILA -- Two senior House leaders on Monday lashed out Senators Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Francis Escudero for suggesting that Senate and the House of Representatives are heading for a clash due to irreconcilable versions of the proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL). Those candidates are just trying to make themselves look good,” Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. said of Escudero and Marcos.He said the Senate 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. Let them pass it first before they talk of Bicameral Conference Committee,” Belmonte told House reporters in a text message.On Sunday, Escudero had insinuated that it would be impossible” for President Aquino to sign the BBL before his last State of the Nation Address on July 27, as the two Houses would likely have a bruising battle during the bicameral conference because of very different versions” of the measure.On the other hand, Marcos, the chairman of the Senate committee on Local Government said they would not allow the railroading” of the bill that purportedly occurred at the House.The speedy approval at the committee level over a span of three days by House Ad Hoc committee had sparked criticisms and speculations that Malacaang had influenced the drafting of the final version, and the subsequent voting.For his part, Cagayan de Oro Rep. Rufus Rodriguez, the panel chairman, echoed the position of Belmonte as he took exception to the two senators remarks, questioning their political motivations. If the House was beholden to Malacañang, these senators are beholden to public opinion,” he said in a separate interview.Rodriguez said it was obvious that the senators were taking their cue from recent surveys indicating scant popular support for the BBL, which would enact a peace agreement between government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) in the hope of ending decades of fighting in Muslim Mindanao.Rodriguez said the Senate members should open their minds to the BBL, instead of relying on public opinion, which could still change.He said the amendments introduced and approved by his 75-member panel last week had cured the problems of constitutionality that were raised by the senators and other personalities. They voted 50-17 in favor of BBL and one abstention.On the controversial opt-in provision,” which would allow contiguous areas to join the new Bangsamoro entity through plebiscites in the fifth or 10th year after passage of the bill, Rodriguez said the House would not take a hardline stance. This is open to discussion. We will try to convince them that this provision is constitutional, and then we will vote whether it would be retained or deleted,” Rodriguez said.He said the House has been able to remain on target to pass the BBL on second and third reading by June 11, when Congress would adjourn sine die.The veteran solon said the BBL panel would ask the rules committee to allow marathon plenary debates on June 1-4, and 8-11, to accommodate all the concerns of the lawmakers.If approved, the House members would be able to deliberate on the measure from 10 a.m. to 12 midnight every day over eight days. The approved measure is now being scrutinized by the House Appropriations and Ways and Means and expected to be approve tomorrow.On Monday, he said he and Speaker Belmonte would send a letter asking President Aquino to certify the BBL as urgent, so that the chamber would pass the bill on second and third reading on the same day.According to Rodriguez, the certification is necessary, as otherwise, the three-day notice rule will apply to be able to pass a measure on third reading upon approval on second reading. (PNA)RMA/SFM