Retired Chief Justice Hilario Davide Jr. affirms the stance of his fellow Constitution framers that the Bangsamoro Transition Commission’s (BTC) version of Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) is constitutional during the 6th Senate public hearing held on 05 February.
In his statement, Davide enumerated four points supporting the passing of the bill.
“First, the passage of the creation of an autonomous region is a constitutional mandate. Second, its passage is compelled by the imperative of correcting injustices of the past. Third, the region that has been given autonomy must be recognized and respected for its uniqueness. And fourth, the BBL must be understood as an extraordinary special law not only because of its nature but also as an embodiment of the peace agreement and product of the prolonged negotiations,” the retired Chief Justice said.
Seconded by fellow framer Dr. Florangel Rosario Braid, they stood unanimously that the BBL is the nation’s commitment to peace and development.
“I share the sentiments of my fellow framers of the 1987 Constitution that the present and revised version of the BBL is constitutional. There are no constitutional infirmities within the definition of the social justice provision – which is the heart of the Constitution,” Braid said.
Davide and Braid were part of the 14 members comprising the 1987 Constitutional Commission who forged a consensus on the support of BBL back in 2015.
Also discussed in the session were fiscal policy, anti-dynasty and local governance.
During the 5th Senate hearing last week, retired Associate Justice Rodolfo Azcuna affirmed that the version crafted by the BTC complies with the current Constitution.
The bill also gained collective support from the local areas in Mindanao as seen during the 3rd and 4th public hearings conducted in Cotabato City and Marawi City respectively. For this week, the Senate Subcommittee on the BBL will visit Basilan, Sulu, Tawi-Tawi and Zamboanga to continue its series of public hearings.
