By Amita O. Legaspi in GMA News Online

Thirteen senators, including those belonging to the minority bloc, have signed as co-authors of the proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law, which is set to be filed Monday, Senate President Franklin Drilon said.

“The BBL draft is getting broad support from both parties in the Senate,” Drilon said in a statement. “The minority bloc led by acting minority leader, Senator Vicento Sotto III, signed as co-authors of the proposed measure.”

Aside from Sotto, Senators Nancy Binay, Joseph Victor Ejercito and Gregorio Honasan signed the bill. Other lawmakers who signed as co-authors were Senate Pro-Tempore Ralph Recto, Senate Majority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano, Sens. Loren Legarda, Teofisto Guingona III, Francis Escudero, Paolo Benigno Aquino IV, Sonny Angara, and Pia Cayetano.

The BBL will embody the comprehensive peace agreement signed last March by the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) aiming to end the decades-long armed conflict in Mindanao.

The bill seeks to create a new Bangsamoro political entity that will replace the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM). It is expected to stipulate power-sharing and wealth-sharing arrangements between the national government and the new political entity.

Once filed, the bill will be referred to the Senate committee on local governance under Sen. Ferdinand Marcos Jr.  and the Senate committee on peace, unification and reconciliation under Guingona.

Drilon welcomed the minority bloc's acknowledgement of the BBL as a crucial instrument of peace and progress, saying it shows “the desire of peace knows no political color.”

Quest for peace

“It is good to know that the majority of the senators support the quest for peace. The concept of having a new organic act that will establish the new Bangsamoro political entity seems acceptable to them,” he said.

He added that with more people working on the BBL, the Senate can better scrutinize every detail of the bill and ensure that every single word in the proposed measures will be reviewed, examined and debated upon.

Drilon encouraged his colleagues to take an active role in the crafting of the BBL and devote time and effort to scrutinize the bill.

“We cannot afford to err on this most-sought piece of legislation,” he said. “Our people won’t forgive us if we fail to pass it on time.”

“It is therefore incumbent upon us to make sure that the efforts exerted by both panels will not be put in vain, by ensuring that the BBL we will debate upon will be in accordance with the Constitution and can withstand judicial scrutiny,” Drilon said.