ARTICLE XIII

REGIONAL ECONOMY AND PATRIMONY

Section 1. Social Justice and Economic System. – The Bangsamoro Government shall establish an economic system based on the principles and state policies declared in the Constitution. Pursuant to these principles, the Parliament shall enact laws pertaining to the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region economy and patrimony that are responsive to the needs of its people.

Sustainable Development

Section 2. Equitable and Sustainable Development. – In order to protect and improve the quality of life of its inhabitants, the development in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region shall be carefully planned taking into consideration the ecological balance and the natural resources that are available for its use and for the use of future generations.

The Bangsamoro Government shall promote the effective use of economic resources and endeavor to attain economic development that facilitates growth and full employment, human development, and social justice.

The Bangsamoro Government shall likewise provide equitable opportunities for the development of constituent local government units and shall strengthen governance systems to ensure people’s participation.

Section 3. Comprehensive Framework for Sustainable Development. – The Bangsamoro Government shall develop a comprehensive framework for sustainable development through the proper conservation, utilization, and development through the proper conservation, utilization, and development of the natural resources, which shall guide it in adopting program and policy mechanisms that focus on the environment dimensions of social and economic interventions. It shall include measures for environmental justice and governance, as well as for the reduction of the vulnerability of women and marginalized groups to climate change and variability.

Section 4. Bangsamoro Economic and Development Council. – The Parliament shall establish the Bangsamoro Economic and Development Council which shall serve as the planning, monitoring, and coordinating agency for all development plans, programs, and projects of the Bangsamoro Government. It shall evaluate and recommend short, medium, and long-term comprehensive development plans, programs, and projects for the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region for approval by the Parliament. The development plans, programs, and projects shall take into account the development plans of the provinces, cities, municipalities, and barangays as approved by their respective local development councils.

Section 5. Gender and Development. – The Bangsamoro Government shall recognize the role of women in governance and ensure their fundamental equality before the law. It shall guarantee full and direct participation of women in governance and development process, ensuring that women shall benefit equally in the implementation of development programs and projects.

In the utilization of public funds, the Bangsamoro Government shall ensure that the needs of the Bangsamoro people, regardless of gender, are adequately addressed. For this purpose, at least five percent (5%) of the total budget appropriation of each ministry, office, and constituent local government unit of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region shall be set aside for gender-responsive programs, in accordance with a gender and development plan. In the same manner, five percent (5%) to thirty percent (30%) of the official development assistance received by the Bangsamoro Government shall be set aside to complement the gender and development budget allocation.

The Bangsamoro Government shall establish a mechanism for consultation with women and local communities to further ensure the allocation and proper utilization of development funds. It shall identify and implement special development programs and laws for women.

Section 6. Participation in National Development Planning. – To ensure that the Bangsamoro development plans are reflected in the national development plans, a respresentative of the Bangsamoro Government shall sit as member of a national development plan steering committee or its equivalent and shall participate in relevant planning activities of the National Economic and Development Authority.

Section 7. Disaster Risk Reduction and Management and Climate Change Adaptation. – The Bangsamoro Government recognizes the importance of disaster risk reduction and management and climate change adaptation.

There is hereby created a Bangsamoro Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council headed by the Chief Minister, with powers and functions that shall be defined by the Parliament in a law providing for disaster preparedness and response:

Provided, That it shall formulate the Bangsamoro Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Plan, which shall complement that of the National Government: Provided, further, That through the Chief Minister , it shall recommend to the President the mobilization of resources of national defense in times of disaster in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region.

The relevant agencies of the National Government and Bangsamoro Government shall cooperate and coordinate on disaster risk reduction and management.

The Bangsamoro Government, consistent with Republic Act No. 9729, otherwise known as the ” Climate Change Act of 2009,” shall ensure that its constituent local government units formulate their perspective local climate change action plans and for the proper and effective implementation thereof.

Natural Resources

Section 8. Natural Resources, Nature Reserves, and Protected Areas. – Subject to the provisions of the Constitution, the Bangsamoro Government shall have the power, authority, and right to explore , develop, and utilize the natural resources, including surface and subsurface rights, inland waters, coastal waters, and renewable and nonrenewable resources in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region.

The protection, conservation, rehabilitation, and development of forests, coastal, and marine resources, including the adoption of programs and projects, to ensure the maintenance of ecological balance and biodiversity shall be given priority.

The Bangsamoro Government shall also have the power to declare nature reserves and aquatic parks, forests, watershed reservations, and other protected areas in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region.

The Parliament shall pass a law to establish protected areas, the procedure for the declaration and the management thereof, and the role of the Bangsamoro Government and other stakeholders in the process: Provided, That protected areas to be declared within the ancestral domains shall be subject to the free, prior and informed consent of the non-Moro indigenous peoples.

Pending the enactment of such law, the declaration and management of protected areas shall be governed by existing laws rules and regulations. Existing nature reserves and protected areas shall remain as such. These, including those to be declared, shall be managed in accordance with sustainable development and biodiversity conservation policies and principles as contained in international conventions and treaties to which the Philippines is a party.

Section 9. Transfer of Management of Existing Nature Reserves and Protected Areas. – The management and protection of nature reserves and aquatic parks, forests, watershed reservations, and other protected areas in the territorial jurisdiction of the Bangsamoro that have already been defined by and under the authority of the National Government shall be transferred to the Bangsamoro Government.

Within three (3) months from the establishment of the Bangsamoro Transition Authority, the Bangsamoro Government and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, as well as other relevant government agencies, shall start the process of transferring the management of these areas to Bangsamoro Government, including the conduct of surveys of all affected areas and the planning and transition for each and every protected area. The transfer shall be completed within a period not exceeding two (2) years.

Section 10. Exploration, Development, and Utilization of Fossil Fuels and Uranium. – Subject to the provisions of the Constitution and national laws, the Bangsamoro Government and the National Government shall jointly exercise the power to grant rights, privileges, and concessions over the exploration, development, and utilization of uranium and fossil fuels such as petroleum, natural gas, and coal in the territorial jurisdiction of the Bangsamoro. The use of the renewable energy shall be promoted for power generation to achieve the sustainable development goals and promote low carbon energy generation policies as provided in Section 2 of this Article.

The National Government, through the Department of Energy, and the Bangsamoro Government shall adopt a competitive and transparent process for the grant of rights, privileges, and concessions in the exploration, development, and utilization of fossil fuels and uranium.

The Department of Energy and the Bangsamoro Government shall identify and select prospective contract areas to be offered for exploration and development. Qualified Filipino citizens who are bona fide residents of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region shall be given a rating higher than other proponents during the evaluation process. The award of the service contract shall be made jointly by the Department of Energy and the Bangsamoro Government.

Section 11. Preferential Rights of Bona Fide Residents of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region. – Qualified citizens who are bona fide residents of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region, all other conditions being equal, shall have preferential rights over the exploration, development, and utilization of natural resources, including uranium and fossil fuels such as petroleum, natural gas, and coal within the territorial jurisdiction of the Bangsamoro. Existing rights over the exploration, development and utilization of natural resources shall be respected until the expiration of the corresponding leases, permits, franchises, or concessions, unless legally terminated.

Section 12. Rights of Indigenous People to Natural Resources. – The Parliament shall enact a law recognizing the rights of indigenous peoples in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in relation to natural resources within the areas covered by a native title, including their share in revenues as provided in this Organic Law, and priority rights in the exploration, development, and utilization of such natural resources within their area.

The right of indigenous peoples to free, prior and informed consent in relation to development initiatives and the exploration, development, and utilization of the natural resources within the ancestral domains covered by Certificate of Ancestral Domain Title shall be respected.

Section 13. Mines and Mineral Resources. – Subject to the provisions of the Constitution and national laws, the Bangsamoro Government shall have the authority and jurisdiction over the exploration, development , and utilization of mines and minerals in its territorial jurisdiction, taking into consideration environmental protection and ecological balance. The Bangsamoro Government shall have the power to grant permits, licenses, and contracts for this purpose.

Section 14. Financial and Technical Agreements. – The Bangsamoro Government may endorse to the President financial and technical agreements covering mineral resources in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region, in accordance with the mining policy that shall be adopted by the Parliament.

Section 15. Regulation of Small-Scale Mining. – Small-scale Mining shall be regulated by the Bangsamoro Government to the end that the ecological balance, safety and health, and the interests of the affected communities, the miners, the indigenous peoples, and the local government units of the place where such operations are conducted are duly protected and safeguarded. All gold produced by small-scale miners in any mineral area shall be sold to the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, or its duly authorized representatives, which shall buy the same at prices competitive with those prevailing in the world market, regardless of volume or weight.

Section 16. Bangsamoro Mining Policy. – Policies on mining and other extractive industries shall be established by the Parliament in accordance with a comprehensive sustainable development plan and overall medium-term and long-term Bangsamoro Development Plan.

Section 17. Cadastral Land Surveys; Land Classification and Urban Land Reform and Land Use Program. – The classification of public lands in the Bangsamoro into alienable and disposable lands shall be recommended by the Bangsamoro Government to the President for the timely implementation of Bangsamoro development plans and targets.

The Bangsamoro Government may, upon authority of the President, conduct cadastral surveys, lot surveys, and isolated and special surveys in the Bangsamoro: Provided, That it shall furnish the results of these surveys to, and coordinate with, the relevant national government agencies to effect inclusion into the National Cadastral Survey.

Subject to the provisions of the Constitution, the Parliament may enact an urban land reform and land use program for the region.

Section 18. Zones of Jointly Cooperation. Zones of Joint Cooperation in the Sulu Sea and the Moro Gulf are hereby created, the coordinates of which shall be defined by an ad hoc Joint Body composed of representatives from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources and the National Mapping and Resource Information Authority, and corresponding number of representatives from appropriate agencies of the Bangsamoro Government.

The joint Body shall be convened within thirty (30) days after the ratification of this Organic Law and shall cease to exist after it has established the coordinates of the Bangsamoro territorial jurisdiction, including Bangsamoro Waters and the Zones of Joint Cooperation.

Section 19. Join Body for the Zones of Joint Cooperation. – The Joint Body created for the Zones of Joint Cooperation provided in Section 5, Article VI of this Organic Law, shall establish the policies therein and shall be composed of the following:

(a) Secretary of Agriculture and a Bangsamoro Minister as co-Chairpersons;

(b) Secretary of Environment and Natural Resources and a counterpart Minister of the Bangsamoro Government

(c) Secretary of Transportation and a counterpart Minister of the Bangsamoro Government;

(d) At least one (1) representative of a constituent local government unit of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region adjacent to the Sulu Sea;

(e) At least one (1) representative of a constituent local government unit of Bangsamoro Government adjacent to the Moro Gulf;

(f) At least one (1) representative from an adjoining non-Bangsamoro local government unit adjacent to the Sulu Sea; and

(g) At least one (1) representative from an adjoining non-Bangsamoro local government unit adjacent to the Moro Gulf.

The Bangsamoro Government and the National Government shall ensure the free movement of vessels, goods, and people in these Zones of Joint Cooperation, working together to regulate the waters therein and formulating policies jointly for the following purposes:

(a) Protection of the traditional fishing grounds;

(b) Equitable sharing of the benefits from the resources therein; and

(c) Ensuring the interconnectivity of the islands and mainland areas comprising the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region towards a cohesive Bangsamoro political entity.

Section 20. Exploration, Development, and Utilization of Nonliving Resources in the Zones of Joint Cooperation. – Subject to the limitations provided in the Constitution, the Joint Body for the Zones of Joint Cooperation shall ensure cooperation and coordination between the National Government and the Bangsamoro Government on the exploration, development, and utilization of nonliving resources in the Zones of Joint Cooperation and determine the sharing of income and revenues derived therefrom.

Section 21. Transportation Routes in the Zones of Joint Cooperation. – Direct transportation routes connecting the islands in Sulu, Basilan, Tawi-Tawi, or the mainland parts of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region and passing through the Zones of Joint Cooperation shall be considered intra-regional routes.

Section 22. Management of Inland Waters. – The Bangsamoro Government shall have exclusive powers over inland waters, including lakes, marshes, rivers, and tributaries within its territorial jurisdiction, except those that provide energy to power generating plants. The Parliamentary shall enact laws on the regulation, conservation, management, and protection of these resources, and may classify inland waters in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region. It shall create a Bangsamoro Authority and offices for specific inland bodies of water that shall exercise management and regulatory powers over these bodies of water.

If any inland water is a source of energy for areas outside of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region, the principle of co-management of fossil fuels under Section 10 of this Article and Section 34 of Article XII of this Organic Law shall apply.

The Bangsamoro Government shall ensure that the utilization of these waters shall be for the primary benefit of the people in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region and shall give host communities their share from the revenues generated from such utilization.

The Bangsamoro Government shall coordinate and cooperate with the Philippine Coast Guard concerning inland waterways for navigation.

Section 23. Agriculture, Fisheries, and Aquatic Resources. – Consistent with the provisions of Republic Act No. 8550, otherwise known as ” The Philippine Fisheries Code of 1998,” as amended, and other relevant national laws, the policies and laws of the Bangsamoro Government on agriculture as a key development strategy, promote productivity measures, and provide support for small farmers, landholders, and marginal fisherfolk. The Bangsamoro people, indigenous peoples, and resident marginal fisherfolk shall enjoy preferential fishing rights in the Bangsamoro regional waters, without prejudice to the fishing rights of other citizens of the Philippines, whether residents or nonresidents of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region.

Trade and Industry and Tourism

Section 24. Trade and Industry in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region. – The Bangsamoro Government recognizes the private sector as a mover of trade, commerce, and industry. To achieve equity, social justice, and economic development, it shall encourage and support the building up of entrepreneurial capability in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region and shall recognize, promote, protect, and support the development of cooperatives and other medium, small, and micro enterprises. It shall adopt and implement cooperative development policies and programs through the enactment of a Bangsamoro cooperative code.

The Bangsamoro Government shall promote trade and industry in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region by providing avenues through which other countries may learn about its unique industries, economic opportunities, and culture through participation in trade missions, trade fairs, and other promotional activities. It may also organize trade missions to other countries observing the necessary coordination with the relevant government agencies.

The Bangsamoro Government shall also promote domestic trade preference for goods produced and materials sourced from within the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region and adopt measures to increase their competitiveness. The Bangsamoro Government shall also ensure that Bangsamoro products and services gain considerable access to the markets of its trading partners. Particular attention shall also be given to the markets of its trading partners who have historic and cultural ties to the Bangsamoro people.

Section 25. Registration of Business Names. – The Bangsamoro Government shall have the power to register business names which shall be listed in the Philippine Business Registry.

Section 26. Barter Trade and Countertrade. – The Bangsamoro Government shall regulate traditional barter trade with the Brunei Darussalam-Indonesia-Malaysia-Philippines East ASEAN Growth Area (BIMP-EAGA) Member States and countertrade with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Member States. The goods or items that are traded with the said countries shall not be sold elsewhere in the country without the payment of appropriate customs or import duties in accordance with existing national laws.

Countertrade with ASEAN Member States shall be in accordance with the spirit, intent, goals, processes, modalities, and arrangements in the ASEAN economic integration agreements.

Section 27. Cooperatives and Social Entrepreneurship. – The Bangsamoro Government shall recognize, protect, and promote the establishment of cooperative enterprises. It shall likewise encourage and promote social entrepreneurship as a means to engage the private sector to assist in the development, funding, and implementation of solutions to social, cultural, or environmental issues.

The Parliament shall pass laws to strengthen the growth and development of social enterprises in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region to achieve social justice, social equity, and economic efficiency.

Section 28. Economic Zones, Industrial Estates, and Free Ports. – The Bangsamoro Government may establish economic zones, industrial estates, and free ports in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region, including the establishment of a Bangsamoro Economic Zone Authority which shall have similar powers as those of the Philippine Economic Zone Authority. The Parliament may provide such additional powers and functions to the Bangsamoro Economic Zone Authority as may be necessary to meet the special circumstances of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region.

Once the Bangsamoro Economic Zone Authority is created, the Philippine Economic Zone Authority shall no longer create any other economic zone within the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region. Any corporation, firm, or entity established within the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region by the Philippine Economic Zone Authority shall be placed under the jurisdiction of the Bangsamoro Economic Zone Authority, and shall continue to enjoy the benefits granted to it by the Philippine Economic Zone Authority.

Through the intergovernmental relations mechanism, the Bangsamoro Government and the National Government shall cooperate on customs, immigration, and quarantine services including the attendant international commitments thereto, in order to implement and make fully operational such economic zones, industrial estates, and free ports within one (1) year from their establishment. Business and other enterprises operating within the Bangsamoro economic zones, industrial estates, and free ports are entitled to the fiscal incentives and other benefits provided by the National Government to special economic zones. The Bangsamoro Government shall provide fiscal incentives and other benefits to investors in economic zones, industrial estates, and free ports: Provided, That, for goods consumed and services rendered outside the established economic zones, industrial estates, and free ports in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region, all relevant national taxes shall be imposed.

Bangsamoro free ports shall be contiguous or adjacent to a seaport or airport. The area of coverage of a free port may be so much as may be necessary of that portion of the constituent local government units in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region, subject to such criteria as the Parliament may provide in a law for that purpose. The administration of existing free ports in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao are hereby transferred to the Bangsamoro Government.

Section 29. Prohibition Against Toxic or Hazardous Substances. – The Bangsamoro Government shall regulate, restrict or prohibit the use, importation, transit, transport, deposit, disposal, and dumping of toxic or hazardous substances within the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region. It shall, in the same manner, regulate activities that may adversely impact the environment and may be harmful to the health, safety and welfare of the Bangsamoro people.

Section 30. Halal Program. – The Bangsamoro Government shall have the power to accredit halal-certifying bodies in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region. It shall promote awareness through the development and implementation of a halal campaign program.

The Parliament shall enact laws to further strengthen its policy and programs on halal development.

Section 31. Banks and Financial Institutions. The Bangsamoro Government shall encourage the establishment of:

(a) Banks and financial institutions and their branches including an Islamic window in domestic and foreign conventional banks; and

(b) Offshore banking units of foreign banks within the principles of the Islamic banking system.

Section 32. Islamic Banking and Finance. – The Bangsamoro Government, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, the Department of Finance, and the National Commission on Muslim Filipinos shall jointly promote the development of an Islamic banking and finance system, to include, among others, the establishment of a Shari’ah Supervisory Board and the promotion and development of Shari’ah-compliant financial institution. The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas shall determine the type of organizational structure to be created and its composition.

To facilitate the establishment of an Islamic banking and finance system, the Bangsamoro Government and the National Government shall review existing market environment policies, adopt measures to enhance the competitiveness of Islamic finance products, and ensure that Islamic financial players are not inhibited from introducing Islamic finance products. It shall further promote investor awareness and acceptance in order to build a broader customer and asset base.

The operation of Islamic banks, Shari’ah-compliant financial institutions and other institutions performing similar functions shall be subject to the power of supervision of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas.

The Parliament shall enact laws that promote the growth of Islamic finance such as those that promote tax incentives and ensure tax neutrality of Islamic finance transactions in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region.

Section 33. Islamic Banking Unit in the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas. – An Islamic banking unit shall, as far as practicable, be established in the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas which shall be headed and staffed by qualified Islamic banking experts.

Section 34. Functions of the Shari-ah Supervisory Board and Qualifications of Its Members. – Without prejudice to the crafting of the Bangsamoro Islamic banking and finance framework by the Parliament, the following are the functions and qualifications of the Shari-ah Supervisory Board:

(a) Functions, – The Shari-ah Supervisory Board shall be responsible for monitoring the compliance of Shari’ah rules in banking and finance transactions and issuance of Shari’ah products. Furthermore, as representative of the various Ulama, it shall have the authority to issue fatwas regarding the products and practices employed by banks and other institutions.

(b) Qualifications. Subject to other qualifications that the Parliament may enact, the members of the Board shall have the necessary knowledge of both Islamic jurisprudence and conventional banking and finance.

Section 35. Tourism. – The Bangsamoro Government shall promote tourism within the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region.

It may recommend the designation of tourism enterprise zones to the Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority, in accordance with Republic Act No. 9593, otherwise known as ” The Tourism Act of 2009.”

Public Utilities and Infrastructure

Section 36. Energy and Power Generation. – The Bangsamoro Government shall promote investments in the energy and power generation sector, domestic and international, public and private, in the power sector industry in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region: Provided, That it shall as far as practicable, promote low carbon sustainable power generation in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region consistent with sustainable development goals and sustainable power generation policies provided in this Organic Law: Provided, further, That the Bangsamoro Government shall notify the National Government insofar as power generation investments are concerned.

(a) Power Generation and Distribution Utilities Operating Exclusively in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region. The Bangsamoro Government shall have the authority to build power generation and distribution utilities operating exclusively in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region through the Ministry of Energy it shall create: Provided, That the Bangsamoro Government shall divest its ownership of the utilities twenty-five (25) years after their creation. It shall promote investments, domestic and international, in the power sector industry in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region.

Consistent with sustainable development goals and low carbon sustainable power generation policies to reduce costs associated with transmission including line losses and network investment, distributed power generation shall be aggressively promoted as part of the Bangsamoro Government’s power development plan. Power generation plants and distribution utilities operating exclusively in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region shall be able to interconnect, sell, and buy power over the national transmission grid subject to limitations under Republic Act No. 9136, otherwise known as the “Electric Power Industry Reform Act of 2001.” In the same way, transmission lines operating exclusively in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region shall be able to connect to the national transmission grid. Such power plants and distribution networks may only sell power over the national transmission grid once the power supply needs of its customer have been completely met. The Bangsamoro Government may assist electric cooperatives operating exclusively in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in accessing funds and technology to ensure their financial and operational viability. Assistance may be in the form of restructuring of debts, with rehabilitation and efficiency improvement measures based on a set of clear time-bound operational reform programs.

(b) Agus Hydropower Complex. – In the event of the privatization of the Agus Hydropower Complex, the Bangsamoro Government shall preferential rights to acquire the hydroelectric plants situated within its territorial jurisdiction. Nevertheless, the National Government and the Bangsamoro Government shall cooperate and coordinate through the Intergovernmental Energy Board insofar as the utilization of water from Lake Lanao for the Agus Hydropower Complex is concerned. This is without prejudice to the payment of the obligation of National Power Corporation or Power Sector Assets and Liabilities Management Corporation to the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao which now accrues to the Bangsamoro Government.

Section 37. Public Works and Infrastructure. – The National Government shall fund and implement the construction and maintenance of the national roads, bridges, water supply and services, and flood control and irrigation systems and for the maintenance of existing airports, seaports, and wharves in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region: Provided, That with regard to water supply and services, flood control and irrigation systems that connect or from facilities outside the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region, there shall be cooperation and coordination between the Bangsamoro Government and the appropriate national or local government bodies. All national roads and bridges in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region shall be included in the National Road Network Information System. Nationally-funded infrastructure projects shall be implemented by the National Government.

The Bangsamoro Government shall submit proposals to the appropriate national government agency for the inclusion of the cost of such maintenance in the latter’s budget that shall be submitted to the Congress of the Philippines for inclusion in the General Appropriations Act. Funding for national roads, bridges, and irrigation systems shall be regularly released to the relevant departments of the National Government.

Transportation and Telecommunications

Section 38. Transportation. – The Bangsamoro Government shall have the authority to grant regional franchises, licenses, and permits to land, sea, and air transportation plying routes in the provinces or cities within the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region: Provided, That the National Government shall regulate the airside operations of all existing airports.

The Bangsamoro Government shall have the authority over the following:

(a) Regulation of transportation in the Zones of Joint Cooperation , subject to the provision in Second 19 of this Article;

(b) Registration of land, water, and air transportation operating exclusively within the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region; and

(c) Exercise of quasi-judicial powers over the operation of land and water transportation in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in accordance with the rules of procedure established by the Parliament.

Section 39. Telecommunications. – The Bangsamoro Government shall have the authority to grant regional franchises, licenses, and permits to telecommunication utilities whose frequencies are confined to and whose main offices are located within the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region; Provided, That nothing herein shall be construed as limiting in any way the power of the Congress of the Philippines to grant national franchises in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region.

The Bangsamoro Government shall have the authority over the following:

(a) Issuance of certificates of public convenience and necessity, special permits and provisional authority to operate telecommunication companies in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region;

(b) Registration of telecommunication companies in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region; and

(c) Exercise of quasi-judicial powers over the operation of telecommunication companies in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in accordance with the rules of procedure established by the Parliament.