COTABATO CITY—In preparation for the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao’s (BARMM) budget for the Fiscal Year (F.Y.) 2023, the Ministry of Finance, and Budget and Management (MFBM) is conducting a series of extensive budget hearings at Bangsamoro Government Center in this city.
The Technical Budget Hearing (TBH) is an annual activity of MBFM where all BARMM ministries and offices are required to present and defend their budget proposals that are anchored on BARMM’s development agenda for the next fiscal year.
Yesterday, July 13, MFBM concluded the two-day budget hearing of the Office of the Chief Minister (OCM) and its attached offices which includes the Bangsamoro Information Office (BIO), Bangsamoro Darul-Ifta’ (BDI), Bangsamoro Pilgrimage Authority (BPA), and Bangsamoro Regional Board of Investments (BBOI).
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Trade, Industry, and Tourism (MTIT) will undergo the same process today, July 14.
Among the ministries and offices which have already defended their proposed budgets are:
- Ministry of Transportation and Communication (MOTC);
- Ministry of Public Works (MPW);
- Ministry of Basic, Higher, and Technical Education (MBHTE);
- Ministry of Environment, Natural Resources, and Energy;
- Ministry of Health (MOH);
- Ministry of Social Services and Development (MSSD);
- Ministry of Interior and Local Government (MILG);
- Cooperatives and Social Enterprise Authority (CSEA) and Bangsamoro Sports Commission;
- Bangsamoro Human Rights Commission (BHRC) and Bangsamoro Commission on the Preservation of Cultural Heritage (BCPCH);
- Bangsamoro Planning and Development Authority (BPDA);
- Ministry of Human Settlements and Development (MHSD) and Development Academy of the Bangsamoro (DAB);
- Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST) and Bangsamoro Pilgrimage Authority (BPA);
- Ministry of Indigenous People’s Affair (MIPA) and Office of the Wali;
- Bangsamoro Women Commission (BWC) and Ministry of Labor and Employment (MOLE);
- Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Agrarian Reform (MAFAR);
- Ministry of Public Order and Safety (MPOS);
- Bangsamoro Attorney-General’s Office (BAGO); and
- Bangsamoro Youth Commission (BYC)
Once the TBH for all ministries and offices has concluded, MFBM will have its final evaluation and consolidate the proposals. This will be followed by a confirmation letter sent to all ministries and offices indicating their recommended budget for F.Y. 2023. The next phase is the submission of the consolidated budget to the Chief Minister and the Cabinet for the finalization of the 2023 Bangsamoro Expenditure Program (BEP) which will subsequently be submitted to the BTA Parliament for deliberation.
Composing this year’s panel members for the TBH include MFBM Minister Atty. Ubaida C. Pacasem, Deputy Minister Amilbahar S. Amilasan, Jr. Director Atty. Rahma D. Sanglitan, Bangsamoro Treasurer Naila Z. Dimaraw, Atty. Sittie Mariam I. Balahim, Atty. Sittie Amirah K. Pendatun, Fatima Mending-Abas, and Atty. Rasul M. Salik. (Kasan M. Usop, Jr./BIO)
