MANILA – President Rodrigo Duterte vowed to scrutinize the newly approved Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL).
In his third State of the Nation Address, he asked Congress to give him two days to review the measure.
“Give me 48 hours to sign it,” Duterte said during a joint session of Congress at the Batasang Pambansa Complex in Quezon City on Monday.
“Babasahin ko pa bago ko pipirmahan. Baka may isiningit kayo diyan na hindi maganda para sa – para sa ibang tao,” he said.
Hours before Duterte delivered his SONA the Senate ratified the Bicameral Conference Committee report on the BOL.
The House of Representatives – embroiled in a leadership row that saw Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo getting elected as Speaker, replacing Duterte ally Rep. Pantaleon Alvarez – failed to do so at the time.
Duterte mentioned the BOL, which intends to replace the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao with the Bangsamoro territory, as he promised peace in the southern major island.
Prior to becoming president, Duterte was a longtime mayor of Davao City, now under his daughter Sara Duterte-Carpio.
“At the end of my term, I hope to see the promise of Mindanao fulfilled – or, at the very least, approaching fulfillment,” he said.
“To me, war is not an option. We have been through the catastrophe in Marawi (City). We have seen the horror, the devastation, and the human toll, and the displacement of Christians and Muslims alike,” Duterte added.
In his speech that lasted 48 minutes, the President also condemned the deaths of and abuses against Filipino migrant workers in the hands of their foreign employers.
“I have said this before and I say it again: I am a worker of government, and it is my vow to make sure that your well-being remains our foremost foreign policy concern,” he said, addressing overseas Filipino workers.
“It is for this reason that we are continuing to work with the host nations to ensure the welfare of our countrymen,” said Duterte. “I appeal to all host governments to help us, as true and dependable partners, in this endeavor.”/PN
