ADVANCING BARMM DEV’T. Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao parliament member Amilbahar Mawallil listens during the plenary session of the Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA), where he filed on Thursday (Jan. 19, 2023) eight bills aimed at helping improve governance and foster economic development in the region. Mawallil has encouraged consistent dialogues between the BARMM government and the local government units to accelerate development. (Photo courtesy of BTA Media Office)
COTABATO CITY – A lawmaker in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) has filed eight bills before the Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA) to improve governance and accelerate development in the region.
In a statement Friday, BARMM parliament member Amilbahar Mawallil said the proposed measures focus on the establishment of the Bangsamoro Parliament Corporate Body, creation of the Bangsamoro Economic Zone Authority, strengthening of satellite offices, preservation of the region’s cultural heritage, and seaweed farming.
"Encouraging consistent dialogues between the BARMM government and its component local government units will ensure that the region can maintain its autonomous status while still synchronizing its sustainability effort," he said, referring to the bills he filed Thursday.
According to Mawallil, the regional government must examine internal governance structures more closely.
A measure, BTA Bill 78, aims to create a parliamentary corporate body to improve the regional government's use of its resources and strengthen the legislature's independence from the executive department.
Once approved, Mawallil said the corporate body would provide a clear delineation between the parliament and the Cabinet.
He underscored the presence of an independent parliament corporate body to give the BTA the ability to "objectively review and scrutinize the work of the government, its annual budget, and legislation representative of its constituents."
Another bill of Mawallil also seeks to promote Islamic financing for micro- and small-scale enterprises through his proposed measure.
He said it would enhance the Bangsamoro government’s efforts to encourage and support the building of entrepreneurial capability in the region.
The enactment of BTA Bill 81, he said, would create an environment conducive to the development and growth of vibrant regional enterprises and act as a catalyst for intensified private sector activity to accelerate and sustain regional economic growth.
BTA 76, meanwhile, seeks to further strengthen the conservation and protection of heritage in the region, as well as promote cultural enhancement by conducting a high-level heritage inventory, providing scholarly research, and educating the public about the region's cultural diversity.
Mawallil also introduced BTA Bill 77, which intends to improve the partnership, coordination, management, and communication of government programs.
He said his proposed Bangsamoro Satellite Coordinating Offices could boost operational effectiveness and reinforce the government's efficient program implementation.
Likewise, the parliament member introduced BTA Bill 80, which seeks to establish a Seaweed Farming Development Program that will be integrated with the plans, programs, activities, and projects of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Agrarian Reform.
Mawallil further proposed BTA Bill 79 seeking to encourage the BARMM government to install solar energy systems to promote investments in the energy and power generation sectors, as well as implement low-carbon, sustainable power generation policies.
He also filed BTA Bill 83, which proposes the establishment of the Bangsamoro Economic Zone Authority (BEZA) to develop the legal framework and processes for an economic zone, industrial estates, free port integration, coordination, planning, and monitoring.
The lawmaker from Tawi-Tawi also wanted the Sanga-Sanga airport in Bongao town renamed to Tawi-Tawi airport "to instill pride in the rich history of their land, home, and people." (PNA)
