Filipino boxing icon and Sarangani Representative Manny Pacquiao doesn’t want his district in Sarangani province to be included in the Moro Region that would be formed under the proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law. According to Pacquiao’s statement, there is no need to include the lone district of Sarangani in the Bangsamoro region.
The 36-year-old Congressman noted that the lone district of Sarangani is already enjoying peace and order so there’s no need for his constituency to be included in the controversial Bangsamoro Region. The possible inclusion of Sarangani province may only result in instability in his constituency.
According to Congressman Pacquiao, the possible inclusion of Sarangani was dued to the so-called opt-in provision in the approved BBL version that could expand the Bangsamoro territory in the fifth or 10th year after the passage of the bill in a petition of voters under areas contiguous to the Bangsamoro core territory.
Under Article 3, Section 3, of House Bill No. 4996, “any local government unit (LGU) or geographical area outside the territorial jurisdiction of the Bangsamoro, but which are contiguous to any of the component units of the Bangsamoro and within the area of autonomy identified in the 1976 Tripoli Agreement, may opt to be part of the Bangsamoro by filing a petition of at least 10 percent of the registered voters of the interested LGU or geographical area.”
After the ad hoc Bangsamoro committee passed on first reading a version of the bill approved by Malacanang, the House is set to vote for the passage of the proposed Bangsamoro law that would create a more politically autonomous Bangsamoro region to replace the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.
