COTABATO CITY – A regional lawmaker has filed a bill before the Bangsamoro Transition Authority – Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BTA-BARMM) calling for a regionwide geotagging system for infrastructure projects for updates and transparency.

Member of Parliament (MP), engineer Don Mustapha Loong, the principal author of BTA Parliament Bill 95, said Friday the proposal intends to ensure efficient government project monitoring in the region.

Geotagging, as described in the proposed bill, is the process of adding metadata and geographical information to the physical or site location of government infrastructure projects and uploading them to a web-based application.

Loong said it also includes the project’s name, location, and cost to allow the public and netizens to check the progress of projects in real-time.

“Geotagging of all infrastructure projects in the BARMM will allow for more effective policy-making, improve the planning and programming of development projects, cumulative location of development projects, and track and monitor the progress of government projects,” he said in his explanatory note.

In 2020, the Department of Public Works and Highways’ national office required mandatory geotagging of all infrastructure projects to improve planning, budgeting, project monitoring, and contract management processes.

Loong, former regional public works secretary of the defunct Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, also explained that geotagging would serve as a transparency mechanism that allows the citizens to monitor developments in their communities, and avoid duplication and overlapping infrastructure projects.

“It will also allow the government agencies to determine which areas are receiving development projects,” he said.

Co-authors of the bill were BTA members engineer Baintan Ampatuan, Amilbahar Mawallil, lawyers Laisa Alamia, Rasol Mitmug, Jr., Suharto Ambolodto, and Rasul Ismael. (PNA)

*Originally published on Philippine News Agency (https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1145050)

COTABATO CITY — To ensure transparency and efficient project monitoring, several of the Bangsamoro Parliament members proposed a measure that will institutionalize a region-wide geotagging system for infrastructure projects in BARMM.

Engr. Don Mustapha Loong, one of the authors, said that “while geotagging is currently in place in the Ministry of Public Works, the system may in the future no longer be continued.”

Geo-tagging, as described in the proposed bill, is the process of adding metadata and geographical information to the physical or site location of government infrastructure projects and of uploading them to a web-based application.

It must also include the project’s name, location, and cost to allow the public to check the progress of projects in real-time.

“Geotagging of all infrastructure projects in the BARMM will allow for more effective policy-making, improve the planning and programming of development projects, cumulative location of development projects, and track and monitor the progress of government projects,” he added.

In 2020, DPWH national required mandatory geotagging of all infra projects to improve planning, budgeting, project monitoring, and contract management processes.

The bill explained that geotagging would serve as a transparency mechanism that allows the citizens to monitor development in their communities, avoid duplication, and overlap infrastructure projects.

It will also allow the government agencies to determine which areas are receiving development projects.

Other authors of the bills are Engr. Baintan Ampatuan, Amilabahar Mawallil, Atty. Laisa Alamia, Atty. Rasol Mitmug, Jr., Atty. Suharto Ambolodto and Rasul Ismael. (Publication and Media Relations Division)

*Originally published by the BTA-Publication and Media Relations Division (https://parliament.bangsamoro.gov.ph/latest-news/proposed-geotagging-bill-to-ensure-transparency-on-barmms-infrastructure-projects/)

COTABATO CITY – Some members of the Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA) Parliament proposed a bill that requires all local government units in the region to allocate land space for the establishment of Bangsamoro Public Cemetery.

BTA Bill No. 104 or the Bangsamoro Public Cemetery Act of 2021 orders all BARMM LGUs to allocate a minimum of 2,000 square meters of land per 1,000 population within their respective jurisdictions; 20% of the space will be for use by non-Muslims.

Members of the Parliament Amilbahar Mawallil, Atty. Rasol Mitmug, and Engr. Baintan Ampatuan filed the bill on June 23.

The authors said that due to a lack of provision for Muslim public cemeteries and/or existing ones are not well-maintained and operated, residents of the region face difficulties and have to travel great distances to bury their deceased.

The enactment of the bill will not only promote the health, safety, and general welfare of the region’s constituents but will also imply the “adoption of measures towards ensuring mutual respect and protection of the distinct beliefs, customs, and traditions of the Bangsamoro people and other inhabitants in the BARMM,” the authors said.

Section 5 of the bill states that the fund needed for the operation and maintenance of the public cemeteries shall be provided by the Ministry of Interior and Local Government (MILG) in the submission of the BARMM budget to the Ministry of Finance, Budget, and Management (MFBM) for inclusion in the block grant and annual appropriations law.

The bill has been referred to the parliament’s committees on social services and local government. (Bangsamoro Information Office)

*Originally published by the Bangsamoro Information Office (https://bangsamoro.gov.ph/news/latest-news/proposed-bta-bill-requires-lgus-to-allocate-land-for-bangsamoro-public-cemetery/)

COTABATO CITY – A lawmaker in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) has filed a bill before the Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA) plenary to operationalize a Bangsamoro gazette for transparency and accountability in all of the regional government’s official acts and transactions.

BTA Parliament Member Rasol Mitmug Jr., a lawyer and author of the bill, said Friday he filed Parliament Bill 108, or the Bangsamoro Gazette Act of 2021, to serve as the official journal of the Bangsamoro government.

Every Bangsamoro, as stated in the bill, must have access to information, official records, public records, and documents and papers relating to official acts, transactions, or decisions, as well as to research data used as the basis for policy development.

It will also publish all legislative acts and resolutions, executive and administrative issuances of general application, and significant Sharia Court rulings.

“It is therefore submitted that it is high time and apt for the Bangsamoro government to publish its official gazette to be published in print and electronic form,” Mitmug said in his explanatory note.

He underscored the importance of keeping the public informed of public concerns through platforms that are easily accessible. Under the proposed measure, the Bangsamoro Information Office (BIO) – BARMM will be responsible for the editorial functions over the gazette, the collection of its subscription fees, and the creation and maintenance of its official website and/or social media pages.

Aside from print publications, the gazette will also be published through the BIO’s official website, serving as an open-access digital archive for all published materials in the English language with Filipino and Arabic translations as required.

Mitmug said the BARMM’s various ministries, offices, and agencies, including those in the region’s provinces, cities, and municipalities, shall subscribe to the gazette and pay for the compulsory subscription fees. (PNA)

*Originally published on Philippine News Agency (https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1144933)

COTABATO CITY – The Bangsamoro Parliament has backed Moro legislators on their efforts to ensure the protection and welfare of Bangsamoro people living outside the region. 

All Parliament members approved the resolution who were physically and virtually present at Thursday’s session.

The resolution, according to Atty. Rasol Mitmug Jr. is a way for the BTA to show that “they have us supporting them.” 

“It is necessary to monitor the progress of this case to ensure effective coordination surrounding the arrest,” stated in the resolution.

House Deputy Speaker Mujiv Hataman, with the support of other Moro lawmakers, called for an investigation on the warrantless arrests of Muslims in Cavite in March.

Such operations are labelled as “kidnapping” by Basilan Congressman Hataman, who also stated that investigations would be conducted to prevent law officers’ from using violence and abusing their authority.

In February, authorities from National Intelligence Agency (NICA) and National Capital Region Police Officer (NCRPO) have illegally arrested 11 individuals in a construction site, including seven locals from the Basilan province. 

It was explained in the resolution that “law enforcements allegedly asked the individuals who among them were Muslims.”

According to Bacoor police, the operation was part of the agencies’ verification of the alleged presence of Abu Sayyaf in the area. 

Last year, a similar incident happened when two other Muslims were seized without search warrants and coordination with local government units. 

Mentioned events prompted the Parliament to support the appeal of mentioned legislators in protecting and securing the general welfare of the Bangsamoro people outside the region’s borders.

The Bangsamoro Administrative Code states that the National Commission on Human Rights and its counterpart in the Bangsamoro may collaborate “to conduct joint investigations on human rights violations and abuses that occurred either outside the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region”. (Publication and Media Relations Division)

*Originally published by the BTA-Publication and Media Relations Division (https://parliament.bangsamoro.gov.ph/uncategorized/bta-approves-resolution-supporting-moro-legislators-for-protecting-moro-people-outside-barmm/)