The lawmakers arrived to continue deliberations on the proposed—and much-delayed, by Malacañang’s timetable— Bangsamoro Basic Law. Yes, after staying away from the Batasan for the longest time, congressmen trooped in droves to the House, even if there remain, by today, only seven session days to pass President Noynoy Aquino’s favorite piece of legislation by far.
The new deadline, according to House leaders, is to pass BBL “on second reading, at least,” before Congress ends its sessions and its members concentrate full time on reelecting themselves —or replacing themselves with their relatives—in the May 9 elections. (This will not amount to anything, of course, unless the Senate passes its own BBL measure and reconciles it with the approved House version—something that not even the most optimistic of Palace officials would dare predict.)
Of course, the members of Congress have already been staying away from the House because they have to campaign in their districts. The only way they could be dragged away from the job of getting elected, at this point, is because they have come to terms with BBL’s chief proponent, Aquino.
What has been promised is not really difficult to imagine. What seems to have been settled is how much and how long it will take to be delivered.
I’m pretty sure the congressmen didn’t suddenly realize that the passage of the BBL means peace for Mindanao, as both Malacañang and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front have long been saying. It’s all about the money, really, money that will come in handy during the campaign.
That’s always been the reason why no quorum has been seen in the House, after all. And if you think otherwise, you’re really hopeless.
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