By Delon Porcalla (The Philippine Star) | Updated July 19, 2017 - 12:00am

MANILA, Philippines - Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez is optimistic the House can pass the proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) and the 2018 budget before yearend.

“If there will be no problem with the Constitution, the House can finish the deliberation before Christmas,” Alvarez said in Filipino during an interview with radio station dzMM yesterday.

Lawmakers are planning to conduct simultaneous deliberations on the draft BBL and budget proposals until the end of the year, convene the chamber later into a constituent assembly (con-ass) and push for federalism early next year. 

Alvarez said he and Senate President Aquilino Pimentel III have agreed on this.

Since the appointment of the supposed commissioners for the constitutional commission has been deferred, Alvarez said they would be the one to designate the con-com.

He said the con-com would become a technical working group that will study and draft the revised Constitution, changing the system of government to federal.

After this, the con-ass will debate and launch a massive information campaign to educate the people on the advantages of the federal system before it is submitted to a plebiscite.

The Speaker said Congress – or both the House and Senate – would convene into a con-ass to study and scrutinize the draft charter that the con-com would submit to lawmakers.

Among the proponents of con-ass are Reps. Albee Benitez of Negros Occidental and Robert Ace Barbers of Surigao del Norte whose pending resolutions have been incorporated into one.

“Once the con-com members finish the draft constitution, we can convene Congress into a constituent assembly so that we can begin the debates,” Alvarez said on the proposed shift from a presidential-unitary form of government to parliamentary-federal system.

Camarines Sur Rep. LRay Villafuerte shared Alvarez’s sentiment, saying it is about time Congress intensify its deliberation on Charter change to propel economic growth and ensure equal distribution of resources nationwide.

“The shift to a federal system will spell inclusive growth, which means spreading the benefits of being one of Asia’s fastest growing economies from imperial Manila to the countryside,” Villafuerte, vice chairman of the House committee on local government, said.

Speedy approval

Officials of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) are looking forward to a speedy approval by Congress of the Bangsamoro bill.

The Bangsamoro Transition Commission (BTC) on Monday submitted to President Duterte a copy of the draft bill meant to end the armed conflict in Mindanao.

Once signed, the BBL will replace the ARMM with a more empowered political entity.

ARMM Gov. Mujiv Hataman told The STAR yesterday that the new BBL would provide Muslim communities political strength to address violent religious extremism plaguing some areas in the region.

Officials in the autonomous region are certain of the inclusivity of the BBL, having been premised on the inputs collected from public consultations initiated by the BTC.

Three of BTC’s 21 members represent the largest and most politically active bloc in the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF), led by former Sulu congressman Yusoph Jikiri.

Unlike the MNLF faction of Nur Misuari, Jikiri’s group is not hostile to the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).

Hataman and Maguindanao Gov. Esmael Mangudadatu thanked Duterte for ensuring the enactment into law of the new draft BBL.

Local officials are optimistic the revised draft BBL will not suffer the same fate as the old version, which Congress disapproved for containing unconstitutional provisions.

Mangudadatu said he is sure Duterte would keep his promise to help secure congressional imprimatur for the new BBL.

“We in Maguindanao are convinced that lawmakers will act favorably toward that goal. We want lasting peace in Mindanao, particularly in my province Maguindanao, the main bastion of the MILF,” Mangudadatu said.

He said some outcast Islamic militants are capitalizing on the delay in the implementation of all peace accords signed between the government and the MILF.

Ghazali Jaafar, chairman of the BTC, described the new BBL as more inclusive than the bill that failed to hurdle the 16th Congress and is an antidote to violent religious extremism.