Manila: Philippine lawmakers are expected to proceed with debate on a law, granting autonomy to a predominantly Muslim region in the south, after an eminent persons panel said the measure is not in conflict with the Constitution.

“Once we receive the report of the Committee, we will immediately commence debates and vote upon it at the soonest,” Senate President Franklin Drilon said.

He said deliberations on the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL), as the law is known, are expected to start three weeks from now.

The BBL is aimed at providing Muslim-dominated areas in southern Philippines with “enhanced autonomy,” which is an improvement to that provided under the more than two-decades old Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM).

On Tuesday, the Citizens’ Peace Council which was formed by President Benigno Aquino last April, to ascertain the legality of the BBL, doused lingering doubts over the measure when it submitted its evaluation.

The Council, was made up of eminent persons such as former Chief Justice Hilario Davide Jr., Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle, businessman Jaime Augusto Zobel de Ayala, former Ambassador to the Holy See and Malta Howard Dee, and youth leader Rohaniza Sumndad-Usman.

It found that the BBL is “overwhelmingly acceptable” and “constitutional”.

“The establishment of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region through the BBL must be seen as an alternative to war. Legislation, therefore, in this context, should be seen as a peace-building exercise,” the Council said in the executive summary of its evaluation.

It added that: “Autonomy and self-governance is not equivalent to independence or statehood. It is an acknowledgement of human diversity and recognition that, despite decades of trying, the different cultures had not been served in any effective way by the national government.

“To allow this diversity to thrive, the Constitution contemplates that, within the single democratic and republican Philippine State, Congress would create Autonomous Regions that could exercise all the traditional powers of government: police power, taxation and eminent domain, in the same way as all local government units, but would enjoy less interference from the national government,” the Citizen’s Peace Council said.

Drilon said that the Senate would encourage and allow every senator to express their views “on this very critical piece of legislation.”

At the same time, Senate leader also said that “the show of support from Filipinos in the continuation of the peace process in Mindanao is very encouraging.”

A poll by the independent, the Social Weather Stations (SWS) last March showed that at least 45 per cent of the Philippine population believes that peaceful negotiations are more effective than military operations in solving the conflict in the South.

“The survey is clear: 45 per cent of the people would prefer the peace process to provide stability and peace to Southern Mindanao as against 20 per cent saying the military should provide a solution,” Drilon explained.

Earlier, a February 25 clash between police commandos and MILF forces in Mamasapano, Maguindanao that left 67 people dead nearly shattered hopes for the BBL.

Drilos said the renewed support for the Bangsamoro Basic Law, as shown by the survey, is very inspiring.

“It has reinforced our belief that we would never achieve peace and development in Mindanao by means of force,” the head of the 24-member upper legislative chamber said.