Aquino extends Bangsamoro Transition Commission

MANILA, Philippines –  President Benigno Aquino III signed Executive Order 187 amending the Executive Order No. 120, which formed the Bangsamoro Transition Commission (BTC).

Earlier signed in December 2012, Executive Order 120 established the 15-member transition commission that is tasked to lead the transition toward a Bangsamoro political identity.

The BTC is currently composed of 8 nominees from the MILF and 7 member nominated by the government.

EO 187 states an additional clause which allows the drafting and preparation of a “Code of Parliamentary Procedures for the Future Bangsamoro Parliament and a Bangsamoro Administrative Code for the consideration of the Bangsamoro Transition Authority.”

The EO 187 also expands the duration of the commission.

From the original clause which states that the commission shall cease to operate upon the enactment of Congress, the new executive order allows the commission to function until the ratification of the Bangsamoro Basic Law.

The BBL was initially targeted to be passed by March this year, but a clash between elite police and Moro rebels in January hampered the peace process.

The original version of the BBL aims to establish an autonomous political entity to end almost four decades of conflict and poverty in Mindanao. The government and the MILF agreed on the passage of the law under a historic deal signed in March 2014. – Rappler.com