BY: Genalyn D. Kabiling
President Duterte has appealed to Congress to hasten the approval of the proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law and creation of a federal form of government, warning of trouble in Mindanao if such initiatives are not pursued.
The President admitted that the two Muslim rebel groups have grown impatient over the delay in the peace efforts pending in Congress.
“I hope that Congress would expedite its approval,” Duterte said in a press conference in Davao City before leaving for Japan Sunday night, when asked about the passage of the BBL before the end of the year.
Duterte added that he made a commitment to the Moro Islamic Liberation Front and the Moro National Liberation Front about the shift to a federal form of government.
“I have committed to the main rebellion fronts, the MI pati MN, that we will work for a federal setup and maybe grant them the territories that they want and the kind of framework of governance that they expect with a reformation of all the things in the Philippines,” he said.
“If we do not act on it expeditiously, I think that we are headed for a trouble. We must continue to talk and I will urge Congress to fast-track it because they are getting impatient,” he added.
Duterte said he assured the two groups that his administration “will comply on our side what we have promised.”