BTA passes Bangsamoro Administrative Code
COTABATO CITY, Philippines — The 80-member Bangsamoro interim parliament has approved the proposed Regional Administrative Code essential to the setting up of an efficient autonomous government covering the five provinces of the region.
The approved Bill 60 of the Bangsamoro Transition Authority shall define the procedural principles of governance in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, which covers Maguindanao, Lanao del Sur, Basilan, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi.
The Regional Administrative Code (RAC) encompasses all Bangsamoro ministries and all other non-portfolio entities under the office of BARMM’s chief minister, Ahod 'Al Haj Murad' Ebrahim.
"In one of its basic principles and policies, the Bangsamoro Administrative Code provides that the Bangsamoro Government, in pursuit of moral governance, shall maintain honesty, integrity, transparency, and accountability in governance and take positive and effective measures against graft and corruption," Ebrahim said in a post on the Bangsamoro government's website.
"This salient point speaks of our earnest desire to leave a system that adheres to the concept of amanah, where leadership and responsibilities are not just titles or positions, but more importantly a trust given by the Almighty," he added.
The bill was filed in plenary in July, prompting the parliament's Committee on Rules to form a panel headed by Member of Parliament Raissa Jajurie for public consultations on the proposed administrative code.
Aside from members of the BARMM Cabinet and employees of the BARMM ministries, consultations held in August included local government leaders and non-government organizations.
Also included in the public consultations were sectoral representatives from "the education sector, women sector, youth, farmer and fisherfolks, labor groups, non-Moro Indigenous People, settler communities, civil society organizations, Bangsamoro representatives residing outside the BARMM, and other stakeholders," the regional government said.
The panel also considered position and policy papers for its report to the Committee on Rules.
The committee approved the report on the bill on October 22 and brought it to the parliament in plenary on October 27 for interpellation and amendments.
BARMM's public information director, Andrew Alonto, said Thursday 26 members of the regional parliament voted in favor of the bill during a session Wednesday while 32 others manifested support for its passage via online Zoom. There were no negative votes nor abstentions.
"Tonight, I and my fellow members of the Bangsamoro Transition Authority, sitting as the interim Bangsamoro parliament, finally passed the Bangsamoro Administrative Code. This code will serve as the blueprint of the regional bureacracy. This is one of the mandated tasks of the interim government," MP Amir Mawallil said in a Facebook post on Wednesday.
He also thanked Jajurie, who is deputy majority leader, for her work on the committee report and for seeing the bill brought to the parliament in plenary. "Your candor, and for always being open to the ideas of your colleagues. We may not always agree on things, but you will always have my respect," he said.
"And, lastly, to my fellow members in the Minority Bloc: You participated actively in the deliberations from the panel stage, to the committee level, all the way to the plenary session. This proves that every one of us is here because we are determined to work together for the success of this transition period." — The STAR/John Unson
- Latest
- Trending
