Aquino to aggressively push for passage of draft Bangsamoro law

MANILA, Philippines (Xinhua) - President Benigno Aquino III said he will aggressively push for the enactment of the draft Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) in Congress as peace panels resume discussions on the draft measure today.

Aquino said in a statement that it is his "obligation" to the people who are yearning for peace in southern Philippines.

"I want to be able to push this with conviction. Let's approach this with an open mind, see if everything is consistent with the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB) and limit potential challenges," he said during a meeting with the Bangsamoro Transition Commission (BTC).

The meeting with the BTC came on the heels of reports that " significant points of differences" continued during this week's meeting of the peace panels of the Philippine government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) on the recommendations of Aquino's legal team to the draft BBL.

MILF, the largest Muslim separatist group, said Wednesday in an editorial posted on its website that it will not accept a "watered- down" version of the draft measure.

"The MILF is stretching the protocols of the engagement in order to catch up with commitment and come up with (an) agreed version of the BBL," the group said.

The group said that the government peace panel wanted the MILF to accept a version of the BBL that may be constitutional but will not solve "the Bangsamoro Question."

"The current government proposals will not restore dignity to a people who suffered tyranny and will not secure a peaceful and prosperous future," the editorial read.

The BTC, which was created to draft the Bangsamoro law, submitted its proposed bill to the Office of the President on April 22 for review. The Office of the President returned the draft last month with comments for review by the BTC.

The two panels then met in Kuala Lumpur for five days in early July and another four days in Manila recently to thresh out their differences.

The Philippine government said "due diligence" is necessary since Aquino will certify the BBL as an urgent bill to fast-track its passage in Congress.

The BBL is the organic law for the envisioned Bangsamoro government that will replace the existing Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao by 2016.

The passage of the BBL is part of the CAB that the Philippine government and the MILF signed in March to end decades of armed conflict in southern Philippines.