President Benigno Aquino III plans to meet with members of the House of Representatives this week to make another pitch for the passage of the Basic Law on the Bangsamoro Region when the Congress resumes session on Jan. 18, 2015.

The proposed BBL seeks to establish a Bangsamoro government that will replace the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.

Mr. Aquino said he was informed by Cagayan de Oro Rep. Rufus Rodriguez, the chairman of the adhoc committee on the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL), that the House is set to vote on the proposal after the “turno en contra” stage of deliberations at the plenary.  

The “turno en contra” is a legislative tradition allowing a bill’s opponents an opportunity to explain at length their position during the plenary deliberations for the bill.

“There is still a good chance of having the BBL passed,” the President said in a recent interview.

The President remained optimistic over the BBL’s approval, even with the Congress only having a few session days left before the start of the national campaign period for the May elections on Feb. 9, 2015.