The Office of the Chief Minister’s Marawi Rehabilitation Program (MRP), in partnership with Support to Bangsamoro Transition (SUBATRA), conducts a legal rights education seminar for the internally displaced persons (IDPs) residing in Darussalam Village, Marawi City, on December 17 and 19, 2024. (Photo courtesy of MRP)
MARAWI CITY — The Bangsamoro Government’s Marawi Rehabilitation Program (MRP) and Support to Bangsamoro Transition (SUBATRA) are conducting a series of legal rights education seminars for internally displaced persons (IDPs) in this city.
The initiative aims to inform IDPs about their rights under the Bangsamoro Autonomy Act No. 62 (Rights of Internally Displaced Persons of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region Act of 2024).
MRP and SUBATRA launched this advocacy on December 17, 2024, at Darussalam Village. Two batches of IDPs from the shelter participated in the event, with the second batch attending on December 19.
“We will conduct this activity in all 15 shelters across the city until February 24, 2025. Our goal is to educate an estimated total of 1,000 IDPs by next year,” said Norlailah Nolan Datumolok, MRP’s Information Officer II.
This legal rights education seminar is part of MRP’s ongoing efforts to protect and advocate for the rights of Marawi IDPs. It addresses participants’ knowledge gaps through targeted and simplified sessions on essential legal frameworks such as BAA 62.
The first batch of participants from the shelter included purok leaders and community members.
Atty. Nasifah D. Abolais-Langlang, the Provincial Director of the Bangsamoro Human Rights Commission (BHRC), delivered comprehensive lectures about the law.
Following the lecture, an open forum provided IDPs the opportunity to ask questions and clarify their understanding of BAA 62’s provisions.
Their questions were addressed by a panel of experts, which included Atty. Abolais-Langlang, Atty. Gilbert Sembrano, Program Director Sailanie Alauya, Project Development Officer V Engr. Cosain Batuampar, and MRP’s Member of the Management Committee, Engr. Abdulhanif Ondi.
The BAA 62, also known as the “Rights of Internally Displaced Persons of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region Act of 2024,” is landmark legislation passed in the Bangsamoro Transition Authority on Sep. 27, 2024.
It is the first of its kind in the country to specifically address the needs of IDPs in the BARMM, through measures aligned with international humanitarian standards and the Philippine Constitution. (Norjana Malawi/BIO/with reports from MRP)
