COTABATO CITY – During his Chief Minister’s Hour on Tuesday, Aug. 15, Ahod Ebrahim urged his fellow members in the Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA) Parliament to expedite the enactment of the bills creating the towns in the region’s Special Geographic Area (SGA) and the Bangsamoro Local Governance Code (BLGC).
Ebrahim said the bills creating the municipalities in SGA is important in filling the gaps that were observed as a result of the 2019 plebiscite for the inclusion of some North Cotabato barangays to the Bangsamoro region.
“While at the onset, the Bangsamoro Government included these barangays in the implementation of its various programs and projects, there are gaps in governance that can only be addressed through the creation of municipalities from the special geographic areas,” Ebrahim said.
On December 20, 2022, the Government of the Day filed the bills that will create the eight (8 ) municipalities of Pahamudin, Kadayangan, Kabalukan, Northern Kabacan, Kapalawan, Malmar, Tugunan, and Ligawasan.
In the proposed bills, the 63 SGA villages –located in the towns of Pikit, Midsayap, Aleosan, Pigcawayan, Kabacan, and Carmen in North Cotabato– will be separated from their mother municipalities and constituted into a distinct and independent municipalities.
[Read related story: Gov’t of the Day files bills creating 8 municipalities in BARMM Special Geographic Area]
“These areas are not only special because of their location but also because, along with Cotabato City, these are the new or expanded areas of the BARMM, granted that we take the territory of the ARMM as our baseline. Hence, it is only fitting that we enact these bills as soon as possible.,” the chief minister said.
On the other hand, the enactment of the BLGC will shed light on the relationships between the regional government and its local government units, according to Ebrahim.
“It will also set governance structures, processes, and systems that will help shape more responsive and empowering local government units for its respective constituents,” he added.
The Government of the Day filed the BLGC on September 22, 2022. Once passed, it shall become the 5th priority legislation the BTA has enacted.
“Mr. Speaker (Atty. Pangalian Balindong), my dear colleagues, the enactment of these important legislations will almost complete the laws and governance structures necessary for the conduct of a peaceful and credible first parliamentary elections in 2025, In shaa Allah (If God wills),” Ebrahim said.
“The faster we enact these priority legislations, the better it is for our people as it would give ample time for understanding the nuances and implications of these laws in their everyday lives,” he added. (Johanie Mae Kusain/BIO)
