A file photo of Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA) Parliament Floor Leader Atty. Sha Elijah Dumama-Alba during a parliament session in Cotabato City.
COTABATO CITY—Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA) Parliament Floor Leader Atty. Sha Elijah Dumama-Alba shared the latest updates on the priority legislative agenda of the regional legislature.
“We are happy to note that our legislative agenda for last year, 2023, were followed, Alhamdulillah,” Alba, who is also the Minister of the Interior and Local Government, said in an interview on May 15, here.
Approved Laws
Among the major milestones of the regional lawmakers were the enactment of the Bangsamoro Electoral Code, Bangsamoro Local Governance Code, Parliamentary Districts Act, Bangsamoro Veteran Mujahideen Act, Bangsamoro Science High School System Act, Bangsamoro Regional Institute for Higher Islamic Studies Act, Seat of Government Act, Bangsamoro Holidays Act, and the legislations concerning the various offices’ budget.
Bills under deliberation and/or consultation
She shared that the following are now at the Committee level: Bangsamoro Revenue Code, Bangsamoro Indigenous Peoples (IP) Development Act, Bangsamoro Labor Code, Bangsamoro Development Corporation Charter, Bangsamoro Agri-Fisheries Technology Institute, and the laws protecting the rights of internally displaced persons.
Regarding the IP Code, Alba emphasized that it is a “trailblazing” piece of legislation, highlighting the need for sufficient time to gather insights from IP communities.
“The IP Code cannot be deliberated yet (in the plenary session) because it is still in the Committee stage, and a part of it is the public consultations, where the stakeholders’ comments and suggestions will be subsequently discussed,” she said.
She added that, based on the calendar of activities, the Parliament will try to pass the IP Code before the Revenue Code, saying, “The Revenue Code [actually] needs to be passed after the IP Code, for there are provisions on taxes and revenues present in the latter.”
The Floor Leader further expressed the legislators’ optimism about presenting these soon-to-be laws to the plenary this month or in June 2024.
She added that, if there are no changes in the schedule, the Parliament expects to approve a bill every month.
Legislation in the pipeline
Bangsamoro Chief Minister Ahod Ebrahim emphasized the immediate passage of the forthcoming laws, including the Gender and Development Code and the Magna Carta for Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) in the BARMM, during the opening of the Parliament’s third regular session on May 14. These laws are intended to benefit the disadvantaged sectors across the region.
Alba also stressed that the BTA Parliament is exerting efforts to ensure strict compliance and implementation of the approved laws by the Bangsamoro ministries, offices, and agencies (MOAs) through a mechanism headed by the Offices of the Secretary-General and the Bangsamoro Spokesperson.
Evolving a strong, responsive, and relevant BARMM bureaucracy through the enactment of the remaining priority codes and legislation is the first priority agenda of CM Ebrahim. (Johamin Inok/BIO)
