COTABATO CITY – Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA) Parliament Speaker Atty. Pangalian Balindong lauded on Friday, February 5, the development on BTA term extension.
Five bills have been filed at the House of Representatives, seeking to amend section 13 article XVI of the Republic Act 11054, or the Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL), and to fix the first regular election of the region.
The bills include House Bill 8116, House Bill 8117, House Bill 8161, House Bill 8222, and House Bill 8277 filed by Representatives Loren Legarda, Esmael “Toto” G. Mangudadatu, Ferdinandh Martin G. Romualdez, Mohammad Khalid Dimaporo, and Isidro Ungab, respectively.
Balindong said bills pending in the House of Representatives which seek
to extend the term of the BTA from 2022 to 2025 are a welcome development for
the Bangsamoro people.
“Such extension will provide a fresh mandate to BTA members to roll out its plans and programs for the welfare and well-being of our constituents,” Balindong said.
Balindong cited challenges in the current economic and public health situations prompted the regional government to change its priorities such that the implementation of its major plans and programs
“This is the situation prevailing in the Bangsamoro region. As an autonomous and transitional government, it is doing its best to prevent the escalation of the health crisis. Thus, the implementation of the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB) has suffered an inordinate delay, which now imperatively demands a longer period for completion,” Balindong said.
The speaker emphasized that in the Bangsamoro Parliament alone, its mandate to enact major legislations has been seriously hampered.
“Although the major bills were already drafted even before the pandemic, their approval cannot be expedited without the requisite public consultations. The restriction on the people’s movements and poor internet connection among stakeholders have prevented the conduct of hearings and meetings for the deliberations of the pending bills,” he said.
Balindong stressed the fact that the BTA has only become fully operational in August 2019 when funds were allotted to enable the parliament members to acquire their own staff.
“Working a gargantuan task on a shortened period is nearly impossible. Even transitional governments in other countries have been given ample time to fulfil their mandate. The push for a term extension is necessary to reaffirm the government’s commitment to give the BTA a full authority to implement its own plans and programs, and enable the peace dividends to reach all our stakeholders in the region. The clamor of our people to immediately achieve economic progress and stable peace and order now lies in the hands of the Congress of the Philippines,” Balindong said. (GALao, Publication and Media Relations Division)
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