Drilon seeks presence of ConCom members to BBL hearing

MANILA-Senate President Franklin M. Drilon today urged the Senate panel hearing the proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) to invite the members of the 1986 Constitutional Commission (ConCom) to weigh in on the constitutionality of the draft law – a piece of legislation so important to government’s goal of providing lasting and genuine peace and inclusive and social development in Mindanao.

“It is our belief that the framers of the 1987 Constitution are in the best position to determine the constitutionality of the proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law and assess its conformity to the vision, spirit and core principles of the Constitution they had penned nearly three decades ago,” he said of the ConCom members, who include legal luminaries and respected public figures such as former Chief Justice Hilario Davide, former Justice Adolfo Azcuna, former Commission on Elections Chairman Christian Monsod, Fr. Joaquin Bernas, former Comelec Commissioner Rene Sarmiento.

Drilon said that it is of utmost importance that their opinion and insights are seriously considered in the crafting of the BBL, in order to ensure that no provision in the Constitution will be violated and that the law will be able to fulfill the vision and spirit of the Constitution’s provision on autonomous regions.

“We want to hear their views and direct us to the weak points of the draft law, and tell us how we can rectify them. They can guide us on what needs to be done to strengthen the law against abuses,” stressed Drilon.

“Their insights and guidance is something we, legislators, need the most in order to perform our duties, most especially when it is about lasting and genuine peace and social and economic development for our brothers and sisters in Mindanao,” he emphasized.

The Senate leader said the 1986 ConCom members have already expressed their interest in taking part in the crafting of the BBL, making it easier for the Senate to invite them to the hearing.

In a January 9 statement, 14 of the members of the ConCom said that “a new organic law is necessary to fulfill the vision and spirit that constitutional provisions on autonomous regions since RA 6734 and RA9054 have clearly not gone far enough to give life to the concept of autonomy for Muslim Mindanao as envisioned by the Constitution.”

They added: “The core principle of the 1987 Constitution mandating a special status for the autonomous regions is the human development of the people of Muslim Mindanao and the Cordilleras. Hence, the public conversation should not be about semantics but about people – their needs, their aspirations, their choices – and about empowering them with the environment and institutional framework for social justice.”

The Senate leader said he agreed with the ConCom members’ views that the ultimate welfare and development of the people of Mindanao should be given more focus, saying further that this can be the guiding principle in the crafting of the law.

“The establishment of the Bangsamoro government will be a significant milestone in our nation’s history as it will be formed to serve and uphold the interests of the Bangsamoro people, culture, and history,” said Drilon.

He said the Senate is working towards the passage of the Bangsamoro Basic Law by March 2015: “We have committed to the passage of the BBL within the prescribed timeline, to ensure the creation of the Bangsamoro government by the time President Aquino steps down from office.”

“We are aware of the monumental weight of this responsibility, with time bearing upon us, on top of the need to ensure the constitutionality of the law’s final form. But rest assured that the legislature is committed to bringing the success of the Bangsamoro political entity to light,” Drilon assured.

Drilon also acknowledged a strong, bipartisan support from both houses of Congress, which speaks of the high level of commitment in the diligent and urgent passage of the BBL.

“The pursuit of this rests on our shoulders right now, and I assure that we in Congress will do everything to make sure that this opportunity to create and embed peace in Mindanao will not go to waste,” concluded Drilon. 

Senate seeks to limit reappointment of JBC members to 2 terms

The Senate today approved a bill on third and final reading which seeks to limit the re-appointment of a regular member of the Judicial and Bar Council (JBC) for more than two full terms.

Senator Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III, author and sponsor of Senate Bill 2419, said the ban would ensure that no regular JBC member would indefinitely sit in the council and serve the appointing authority’s bidding.

The measure was co-authored by Senators ChizEscudero, Miriam Defensor Santiago, Jinggoy Estrada and Cynthia Villar.

Under the existing laws, Pimentel said, regular members of the JBC may be reappointed without limitation and under different capacities.

He said thepractice of perpetual indebtedness diminished and compromised the member’s impartiality, especially in screening applicants who may have close connections or association with the appointing authority.

“The concept of perpetual re-appointment of a regular member may open the possibility of the appointee incurring political indebtedness to the appointing authority such that the more a regular member seeks his or her re-appointment, the deeper the political indebtedness becomes,” Pimentel explained in his sponsorship speech.

“The enactment of the measure into law would prevent political interference in the affairs of the JBC, which is tasked to recommend appointees to the Judiciary,” he added.

Pimentel said the bill would not limit the power of the President to appoint appointees but that would limit the qualification of persons who would sit as regular members of the JBC.

“The bill is not an undue limitation on the prerogative of the President to make appointments and neither does it impose an additional qualification which is not found in the Constitution,” he said.

The essence of the measure, Pimentel stressed, was that no regular member of the JBC would be appointed for more than two full terms and that new blood were introduced in the council.   

The Judicial and Bar Council of the Philippines is a constitutionally-created body that recommends appointees for vacancies that may arise in the composition of the Supreme Court and other lower courts.

The JBC is composed of the Supreme Court Chief Justice as ex officio chairperson; the Secretary of Justice, the chairperson of the Committee on Justice of the House of Representatives and the chairperson of the Senate Committee on Justice and Human Rights as ex officio members; a representative of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines, a professor of law, a retired member of the Supreme Court, and a representative of the private sector as regular members.

The council is the only government body that has members from all three branches of the government, excluding ad hoc and advisory bodies. 

Purisima inaugurates P20-M PNP hostel NE

CABANATUAN CITY – The first known hostel of the Philippine National Police in the country was finally inaugurated here yesterday with the most unlikely person as  guest : suspended PNP Chief Alan Purisima.   

The elegant three-story, P20-million police hostel cum multi-purpose building was unveiled by Purisima and Nueva Ecija Gov. Aurelio Umali inside the provincial public safety company compound fronting the Nueva Ecija Provincial Police Office here, intended to serve as home to police officers in the province.

          Umali said the facility, which will serve as the police officers’ “home away from home,” was funded by the provincial government out of his realigned intelligence funds.

          Umali and Purisima led the ground-breaking rites for the building along in March 2014 although construction was delayed by five months from the original targeted completion date of only six months.

          The facility houses a conference hall in the ground floor, 10 mini-suites in the second floor and four suites in the third floor. The provincial police can hold their command conference as well as small gatherings and functions in the area which will be a wi-fi zone.

          Umali added that this is the first known provincial camp in the country where the local PNP will have lodging houses.

          Purisima said such facility will be a big help, particularly to transient officers and men and also to their families who come for a visit.

          In his brief speech, he said he would see to it that the tour of duty of police officers, including provincial directors will be lengthened from the routine two years.

Senior Superintendent Crizaldo Nieves, provincial police director, said that the facility is something the local police can be proud of. He said that such facility gives the local police a more dignified look and commands respect from the public.

          He said that the Umali administration has been very supportive of the PNP, citing the turn-over in recent months by the provincial government to the Nueva Ecija Provincial Police Office (NEPPO) of patrol vehicles and the construction of other amenities such as the PPSC headquarters and gymnasium plus training on the upgrading of police capabilities.  

          Umali, who is chairman of the Regional Peace and Order Council, said that his administration has been extending full support to the local PNP because it was instrumental in changing the image of the province from a political war zone into a zone of peace, referring to the spate of politically motivated killings .

          “Before, Nueva Ecija’s history was written in violence. I have to rewrite it and I can only do that if I have the support of the police,” he said, adding his administration has been extending assistance to the local PNP as a show of respect to the law enforcers, something which, he said, should be followed by other local government units in the province.

          “If you can give your life in the service, then the LGUs should pay respect to you by providing you with a decent and dignified place to live in,” he said.

          

          Umali said that year in and year out, the various police offices have been undergoing repair yet support is wanting. “It’s about time that if we really respect the PNP, let’s help them and not just talk,” he said, referring to the LGUs.

            He said he is taking his hats off the PNP not only for transforming the image of the province but also for but also for its crime-busting efforts which resulted in reduced criminality. “You should wear your uniforms proudly,” he added. 

Drilon seeks presence of ConCom members to BBL hearing

MANILA-Senate President Franklin M. Drilon today urged the Senate panel hearing the proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) to invite the members of the 1986 Constitutional Commission (ConCom) to weigh in on the constitutionality of the draft law – a piece of legislation so important to government’s goal of providing lasting and genuine peace and inclusive and social development in Mindanao.

“It is our belief that the framers of the 1987 Constitution are in the best position to assess the constitutionality of the proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law and determine its conformity to the vision, spirit and core principles of the Constitution they had penned nearly three decades ago,” he said of the ConCom members, who include legal luminaries and respected public figures such as former Chief Justice Hilario Davide, former Justice Adolfo Azcuna, former Commission on Elections (Comelec) Chairman Christian Monsod, Fr. Joaquin Bernas, and former Comelec Commissioner Rene Sarmiento.

Drilon said that it is of utmost importance that their opinion and insights are seriously considered in the crafting of the BBL in order to ensure that no provision in the Constitution will be violated and that the law will be able to fulfill the vision and spirit of the Constitution’s provision on autonomous regions.

“We want to hear their views and direct us to the weak points of the draft law, and tell us how we can rectify them. They can guide us on what needs to be done to strengthen the law against abuses,” stressed Drilon.

“Their insights and guidance is something we, legislators, need the most in order to perform our duties, most especially when it is about lasting and genuine peace and social and economic development for our brothers and sisters in Mindanao,” he emphasized.

The Senate leader said the 1986 ConCom members have already expressed their interest in taking part in the crafting of the BBL, making it easier for the Senate to invite them to the hearing.

In a January 9 statement, 14 of the members of the ConCom  said that “a new organic law is necessary to fulfill the vision and spirit that constitutional provisions on autonomous regions since RA 6734 and RA9054 have clearly not gone far enough to give life to the concept of autonomy for Muslim Mindanao as envisioned by the Constitution.”

They added: “The core principle of the 1987 Constitution mandating a special status for the autonomous regions is the human development of the people of Muslim Mindanao and the Cordilleras. Hence, the public conversation should not be about semantics but about people – their needs, their aspirations, their choices – and about e powering them with the environment and institutional framework for social justice.”

The Senate leader said he agreed with the ConCom members’ views that the ultimate welfare and development of the people of Mindanao should be given more focus, saying further that this can be the guiding principle in the crafting of the law.

“The establishment of the Bangsamoro government will be a significant milestone in our nation’s history as it will be formed to serve and uphold the interests of the Bangsamoro people, culture, and history,” said Drilon.

He said the Senate is working towards the passage of the Bangsamoro Basic Law by March 2015: “We have committed to the passage of the BBL within the prescribed timeline to ensure the creation of the Bangsamoro government by the time President Aquino steps down from office.”

“We are aware of the monumental weight of this responsibility, with time bearing upon us, on top of the need to ensure the constitutionality of the law’s final form. But rest assured that the legislature is committed to bringing the success of the Bangsamoro political entity to light,” Drilon assured.

Drilon also acknowledged a strong, bipartisan support from both houses of Congress, which speaks of the high level of commitment in the diligent and urgent passage of the BBL.

“The pursuit of this rests on our shoulders right now, and I assure that we in Congress will do everything to make sure that this opportunity to create and embed peace in Mindanao will not go to waste,” concluded Drilon.