Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao Member of Parliament Omar Yasser Sema (File photo courtesy of Bangsamoro Information Office – BARMM)
COTABATO CITY – A lawmaker in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) has proposed a bill authorizing the regional government to grant its officials and employees economic assistance package during the fasting month of Ramadhan.
Member of the Parliament Omar Yasser Sema has filed Parliament Bill 171, also known as the Ramadan Economic Assistance and Relief Act of 2022, which provides assistance equivalent to one-month basic salary to all officials and employees of the region, whether permanent, coterminous, job order, or contractual, who have served for at least four months of service before the month of Ramadan.
In his explanatory note, Sema, a lawyer, said officials and employees who work for the BARMM for three months are entitled to 50 percent of one month's basic wage; 40 percent of one month's basic salary for two months of employment; 30 percent of one month's basic salary for a month of employment; and 20 percent for less than a month of work.
“This is in recognition of the officials and employees' dedication in serving the Bangsamoro,” he said in a statement Thursday.
Sema has lauded the BARMM workers for their hard work amid the threats posed by the pandemic.
He also said in his proposal that the amount needed to implement the bill will be taken from any available fund of the region and that the amount will be included in the annual Bangsamoro Appropriations Act in subsequent years.
The grant, he said, should be made available one week before the month of Ramadan but no later than the 15th day of the same month.
in a Facebook post, the National Commission on Muslim Filipinos said the month-long fasting season of Ramadan is set to take place from April 2 to May 2 this year. (PNA)
