By Genalyn Kabiling
A temporary setback was how Malacañang described the failure of the House of Representatives to ratify the proposed Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL) in time for President Duterte’s State of the Nation Address (SONA) Monday.
Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque (PCOO / MANILA BULLETIN)
"We find it unfortunate that the Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL) was not ratified before the adjournment of today's session of the House of Representatives,” Presidential spokesman Harry Roque said.
"We consider this as a temporary setback in the administration’s goal of laying the foundation for a more genuine and lasting peace in Mindanao,” he added.
Roque however said the Palace remains confident the President would sign the bill creating the Bangsamoro autonomous region "as soon as both houses of Congress finally ratify the bill.”
The House of Representatives adjourned its session on Monday without ratifying the Bangsamoro measure, preventing the President from signing the bill during his SONA.
The Senate, on the other hand, managed to ratify the bill during the opening of the third regular session of Congress.
The Palace earlier said the President was expected to sign the landmark Bangsamoro bill once it is ratified by the two houses of Congress Monday. The signing of the Bangsamoro measure has been trumpeted as one of the highlights of the President’s public address before the joint season of Congress.