Dureza: Bangsamoro bill collateral damage of House internal leadership issue

July 23, 2018

Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process Jesus Dureza lamented on Monday failure of the House of Representatives to ratify the proposed Bangsamoro Organic Law, saying it became a "collateral damage" of the internal leadership squabble in the Lower Chamber. "The BOL suffered this temporary setback, as a 'collateral damage' to an internal leadership issue in the House," Dureza said in a text message. Dureza said the non-ratification of the bill was unfortunate but he said it has nothing to do with the proposed measure itself. "It was due to some leadership issues internal to the House of Representatives. The BOL's non-ratification came when the House suddenly adjourned and it had nothing to do at all with some substantive issues of the proposed law," Dureza said. But he expressed confidence that later on, the proposed BOL would be ratified. "(I) trust and expect that in due time, the ratification which it deserves, will take place as a matter of course," he added. Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque, in a separate statement, also admitted that it was unfortunate that the proposed BOL was not ratified. "We consider this as a temporary setback in the administration's goal of laying the foundation for a more genuine and lasting peace in Mindanao," he said. "We, however, remain confident that President Rodrigo Roa Duterte will sign the Bangsamoro Organic Law as soon as both houses of Congress finally ratify the bill," Roque said. While the Senate ratified the Bangsamoro bill, the House failed to approve it due to the move by some lawmakers to oust House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez. Due to failed ratification of the bill, Duterte's promise to sign it before his State of the Nation Address did not materialize. The passage of the proposed Organic Law for the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao aims to address the decades-old conflict in Mindanao, particularly involving the rebel Moro Islamic Liberation Front. Celerina Monte/DMS