No BBL approval before Christmas

MANILA, Philippines - It is no longer possible for Congress to pass the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) in the next three days or before lawmakers adjourn for their Christmas break, Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. said yesterday.

The same observation was made by Majority Leader Neptali Gonzales II.

Belmonte also denied there was no quorum after they met President Aquino to discuss BBL last week, only that some came in late. But he stressed the issue was not really just about the lack of quorum.

Speaking to reporters after the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp.’s gift-giving event in Quezon City that was led by Aquino, Belmonte said they could finish the interpellations substantially by Wednesday and could go to the next level or the introduction of amendments.

“We don’t have a plan realistically to pass it in the next three days… The period of interpellations is very long, we want to finish the interpellations during this period, which I am very confident can happen,” Belmonte said.

“We hope in the meantime, for the people who want to change something, maybe I will create a small group to accept all proposed amendments so we can discuss them immediately when we meet,” he said.

Unlike the Senate that is working on a completely different draft, Belmonte said they were still working on the basis of the original draft.

“But, as I mentioned earlier, we have done more than 50 amendments to it,” Belmonte said.

Belmonte also said he cannot say whether they can have the controversial measure passed within the term of the President.