President Benigno Aquino III on Friday made a pitch anew for the Malacañang-proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law now pending in Congress during the inauguration of a power plant in Davao Del Sur.
“Each time I speak about Mindanao, I mention how the goal for our administration is to transform it, from the Land of Promise, to the Land of Promises Fulfilled, and over the past few years, we have seen the beginnings of this transformation,” said Aquino, in his speech at the inauguration of the 300-MW Davao baseload power plant, delivered at Sta. Cruz, Davao del Sur.
“This is why we need to pass the Bangsamoro Basic Law in the soonest possible time. For my part, I believe it would certainly push Mindanao, and the Philippines, further into the global spotlight,” Aquino also said.
Aquino said that the mode of governance is so dependent in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao on having the right leader, and they have seen one prominent example in ARMM Gov. Mujiv Hataman.
“Whereas before, the ARMM governor was perhaps overly concerned with his family or his clan, Gov. Hataman chose to carry out policies as dictated by all stakeholders, and the effect has been palpable,” said Aquino.
Aquino cited the amount of BOI-ARMM approved investments. From P87.9 million in 2010, it increased to P3.9 billion in 2014, and this happened even with tension in the region.
“But you must remember, Gov. Hataman’s time in office is limited, and we need to make sure that his region has a framework that can truly make good, inclusive governance the norm rather than the exception,” Aquino said of the BBL.