The country’s business community, both local and foreign, yesterday voiced their support for the passage of “an acceptable and meaningful” Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL).

Various Philippine and foreign business organizations recently signed a statement expressing support for the new law while urging Congress to immediately pass the BBL.

“We, the undersigned business organizations, cognizant of the imperative to ensure a lasting peace in Mindanao, allow Muslim Filipinos to exercise their right to genuine autonomy and catch up with the socio-economic development in the rest of the country, and harness the potentials of the Bangsamoro region to be an indispensable part of the country’s economic engine, affirm our unwavering support for the swift passage of an acceptable and meaningful Bangsamoro Basic Law,” they said in their two-page statement read by MBC president Ramon del Rosario.

They asked the congressmen and senators “to act with urgency” in immediately enacting the BBL, as well as “to pass a version that is consistent with the Constitution, adheres to the commitments of the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB), and truly embodies the dreams and aspirations of Muslim Filipinos.”

At the end of their press conference in Makati City, Del Rosario underscored the urgency of their appeal as he directed a challenge to Senate President Franklin Drilon and House Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. to muster the needed majority to pass the BBL.

SOURCE: Manila Bulletin