Rep. Erico Aristotle “Aris” Aumentado (Bohol, 2^nd District) favors the proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) as an initiative – to give peace a chance.

Aumentado voiced his stand in the wake of discussions in the House of Representatives that nonetheless failed to beat the deadline before the solons trooped to their respective provinces for a much-needed break.

To note, he said, “giving peace a chance” was the formula his namesake father and immediate congressional predecessor Erico Boyles Aumentado used in order to end the three decades long insurgency problem in Bohol.

The farmers among the surrenderees got land to build their houses on as well as some lots to till in the effort to make them self-sufficient, at least, in food.

The solon said he will let the lawyers among the congressmen review the provisions of the proposed BBL and change or amend those that run counter to the Constitution.

As a parallel measure, he has been consulting a battery of lawyers to check if any provision of the Constitution has been violated. Aumentado also wants that for BBL, the mandates of the Commission on Audit, Civil Service Commission and the Philippine National Police and allied branches to be still within the national structure.

Meanwhile, most of the people who he asked during the series of consultations on BBL were yet undecided as they have not fully grasped the intricacies of the proposed law because of the lack of a full blown information dissemination campaign. These people, he observed, rely heavily on the radio for information.

While living in Bohol, Boholanos will still be affected because they have many relatives who have migrated to Mindanao.

Aumentado said a referendum will be conducted only among the provinces to comprise BBL – not all provinces – to make the procedure still comprehensive but quicker and easier. (June S. Blanco)