COTABATO CITY (March 31, 2023) – The Westminster Foundation for Democracy (WFD) and the Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA) of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), together with the organized media entities in the Bangsamoro homeland, revisited the Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL) which became the reference code of the Parliament to constitutionalize their decisions in terms of in attaining development in the region.
The activity, held at Acacia Hotel in Davao City on March 28, 2023, aimed to present the direction of the Parliament Members who have been working for the passage of the six (6) priority codes.
Organizers have tapped the media groups considering their vital role in disseminating an accurate information about the laws that the BTA has been passed by the Parliament.
WFD is a well-known organization in United Kingdom that is dedicated to strengthen democracy around the world. This institution have been existing for more than 3 decades helping democracies to grow stronger so that freedom and prosperity can flourish.
Further, it also tries to help problems of democracy in order to address challenges that people faced around the globe.
BTA – BARMM being the recipient of the WFD program in strengthening democracy and addressing challenges in the Parliamentary system in the Bangsamoro is very active in working hand in hand.
Through this initiative, some members of Bangsamoro Parliament have been sent out to various countries for their exposures and observations on Parliamentary system of government.
It included capacitating the technical people and staff of the Public Information, Publication, and Media Relations Division (PIPMRD) of the BTA – BARMM to serve effectively in the Parliament.
The Bangsamoro Parliamentary system is unique being the only Parliament under the Unitary Form of Government.
As stipulated in the BOL, or also known as R.A. 11054, the Parliament is given an autonomy to pass a law that will strengthen provisions like in the Intergovernmental Relations where the cooperation and coordination was stated clearly compared to the defunct Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM).
Atty. Raissa H. Jajurie, Deputy Floor Leader of the Bangsamoro Parliament, explained, “In the Section 10, Article IV, that respect to the Bangsamoro government and the constituents of local government unit, the LGU’s within the territorial jurisdiction of the BARMM shall be constituent units of the Bangsamoro and that the Bangsamoro government has the power to regulate the affairs of its constituent local government units provided that and it shall enact a Bangsamoro local government code pertaining to that regulation.”
“Although, if it is just enjoined by the LGU’s, under the National Local Government Code shall not be diminished. Under the agreement there is an exception,” she said.
Atty. Jajurie, deliberated further the Inter-Governmental Relations in the BOL in order to open the minds of the media participants in giving accurate and meaningful stories all about the details of BOL, the approved laws and the present local governance code that is being discussed in the Parliament and subject to be passed within the second quarter of the year.
WFD also invited Atty. Sha Elijah Dumama-Alba, the Majority Floor Leader of the Bangsamoro Transition Government, presented to the media participants the Clusters of the Cabinet Legislative Agenda 2021 – 2022 of the BTA.
She elaborated that the clusters of the legislative agenda are the Moral Governance and Development Administrative, the Economic Development, Social Development, Infrastructure Development, Environmental Development, and the Peace, Public Order and Safety.
Dumama-Alba also introduced the “Tier” of the Parliament, as follows: 1) To be passed into law the 2021 – 2022; 2) To be submitted to the Parliament within 2021 – 2022; 3) To be drafted within 2021 – 2022.
She revealed that the total number of proposed legislative actions in the transition is 49; and the total number of proposed legislative actions voted on is 48.
For the particular details, she related that 9 of it is social development, 8 for infrastructure, 7 is for moral governance and development administration, 6 is economic development, 5 is peace, public order and safety and, 5 is for environmental development.
The Cabinet Legislative Agenda is composed of the Senior Minister as a chairperson, Office of the Cabinet Secretariat under the OSM, the Technical Working Group, the Members of BAGO, the Legal Liaison Network, and it has a Members such as Ministry of Finance, Budget, and Management, the Ministry of Social Services and Development, and, the Ministry of Interior Local Government.
She also tackled about the features of the Bangsamoro Electoral Code which are the establishment of Regional Political Parties, Mandatory Bodies or Mechanism in the Party, Nomination of Candidates in which 30% is for women and political dynasty, Mandatory and Continuing Party Activities, Turncoatism and Prohibition on financing or Alliance with National Parties.
The WFD and the PIPMRD is working together to strengthen the design for information campaign in order to help the Parliament in the Bangsamoro disseminate the rightful information and the role of Bangsamoro media partners will truly be reinforced on the thirst for information of the general public. The Bangsamoro Multimedia Network (BMN) are among of the participants in the said event. ### (Faydiyah Samanodi Akmad, BMN/BangsamoroToday, Photo by Mikie A. Mamacan/BMN-USM-BSIR Intern)
