Plebiscite after BBL passage sought

MANILA, Philippines - Buhay Rep. Lito Atienza wants a national plebiscite held for the proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law after Congress has passed it.

He will ask the House of Representatives ad hoc committee on the BBL to amend the bill so the plebiscite would not be held only in certain areas in Mindanao where a new autonomous region would be created.

The BBL would practically amend the Constitution so the whole nation should vote to comply with the constitutional requirements, he said.

Atienza said the block grant equivalent to four percent of the net internal revenue of the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) minus the internal revenue allotments (IRA) of local governments shall be automatically appropriated to the Bangsamoro region.

“We should ask our fellow Filipinos if they agree with this since it will be coming from the taxes they are paying. This directly affects all of us, not just the Filipinos in the area,” he said.

It was possible the limited scope of the plebiscite would be unconstitutional, Atienza  said.

‘Hold passage of BBL’

The provincial board of Catanduanes passed yesterday a resolution urging Congress to hold the passage of the proposed BBL until a thorough inquiry has been made into the killing of 44 police commandos in Mamasapano in Maguindanao last Jan. 25.

Catanduanes was the home province of Chief Inspector Max Jim Tria, the last man standing among the fallen 44.

Vice Gov. Ramon Teves said the Catanduanes provincial board is giving a posthumous medal of valor to Tria’s   parents during his burial in Virac town tomorrow.

They are going to send a copy of the resolution to Congress next week, he said.

On Wednesday, students, teachers, government workers and policemen held a sympathy walk for the fallen 44.

Relatives of Tria immediately brought his body to Catanduanes upon its arrival at Villamor Air Base in Pasay City.

They did not wait for the necrological rites with President Aquino in attendance.

Tria’s family wanted the rites to first be done in his hometown, according to reports that The STAR had gathered.