State of the Nation Address, Year 2 (2)

PHILIPPINES - In Brief 25 Jul 2017 by Romeo Bernardo

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As it turned out, somewhere in the middle of the President's two-hour speech, in between a lengthy denunciation of communist insurgents and his demand that America returned the historic Balangiga church bells taken in 1901 during the Philippine American war, President Rodrigo Duterte mentioned the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL). While the endorsement, implied in his brief description of the administration's efforts to widen Muslim representation in the drafting of the law, was not as forceful as his push for the tax package, this is perhaps one measure that has good chances of passage by yearend. Experts we consulted think the BBL is urgently needed to address the radicalization of Muslims in the aftermath of the Marawi bombings and refugee crisis. The expected timing of passage is linked to the midterm elections in 2019 which, it is hoped, will incorporate a referendum on all the proposed constitutional amendments (including the BBL, federalism and freeing up economic restrictions). Aside from the BBL and the tax package, the President also submitted to congress a P3.8 trillion budget for 2018, 12% higher than this year's budget.