COTABATO CITY – A bill has been filed with the regional parliament seeking to propel economic development in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) through the creation of a regional ecozone agency.

On Friday, Member of Parliament (MP) Amir Mawallil, a former journalist-turned-BARMM legislator, said he filed Parliament Bill 129, otherwise known as the Bangsamoro Economic Zone Act of 2021, to create the Bangsamoro Economic Zone Authority (BEZA).

“The creation of the BEZA will generate jobs, especially in the rural areas, increase their productivity and their individual and family income, and ultimately to improve the level and quality of their living condition,” Mawallil said of the proposal he submitted before the Bangsamoro Transition Authority plenary on Thursday afternoon.

In particular, he said the bill intends to promote the flow of investors into the region, which would then generate employment opportunities for the Bangsamoro people and ensure that products unique to the region gain considerable access to the domestic and global markets.

“Upcoming economic zones that will be established in the region shall be developed into decentralized, self-reliant, and sustainable agro-industrial and commercial investment centers, which shall be operated and treated as a separate customs territory,” he said.

Once formed, the Bangsamoro economic zones, which will be developed in different key areas across the region, will assist the regional government to entice international markets, as well as local and foreign investors, to take notice of the resources and investment desirability of the BARMM.

The local economic zones are also expected to facilitate the marketing and export of goods and services produced by several industries.

Mawallil said the emerging global and regional opportunities for Halal and Islamic finance, as well as the strong support of President Rodrigo Duterte’s administration to peace and development, promises well for the region’s socio-economic development, through the creation of the BEZA.

The lawmaker from Sulu said he is confident and optimistic that the passage of the BEZA Act will capitalize on the rich natural resources that BARMM has, in addition to several comparative advantages that can be utilized to improve the current state of the region, its government, and its people.

The bill is supported and co-sponsored by MPs Laisa Alamia, Baintan Ampatuan, Suharto Ambolodto, Don Mustapha Loong, Rasol Mitmug Jr., Abraham Burahan, and Sittie Shahara Mastura. (PNA)

*Originally published on Philippine News Agency (https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1155305)

COTABATO CITY—The Bangsamoro parliament has expressed condemnation over recent acts of violence in Marawi City and Datu Piang town, Maguindanao, resulting in the loss of innocent lives.

The parliament’s sentiment was contained in two resolutions passed on Wednesday (Sept. 22) urging the Bangsamoro government, through the Office of the Chief Minister, relevant ministries, and constituent local governments to develop a concrete action plan to promote and protect the rights of the victims.

On Sept. 14, unidentified men shot and killed two students inside the Mindanao State University (MSU) campus in Marawi, sowing fear among thousands of other students and faculty.

Hamza Rauf, 25, a physical education student, and Omar Zinal, 23, an engineering student, were walking back to their boarding house when shot early in the evening.

The parliament members urged the ministries of education, local government, public order and safety, and the Bangsamoro Human Rights Commission to provide “appropriate” support to MSU and other local institutions in bringing justice to the victims’ families.

On Sept. 18, four days after the attack in MSU-Marawi, an improvised bomb was blasted in a covered court in Datu Piang town, Maguindanao targeting some members of the LGBTQ+ community who were playing volleyball, injuring eight persons, one of whom later died.

The following day, another member of the LGBTQ+ community was murdered in her home by an unidentified assailant.

Member of Parliament (MP) Susana Anayatin, one of the authors of the approved resolution, said these alleged hate crimes must be stopped, emphasizing that people, regardless of sexual preference, “must be given protection and must feel protected by the community and the government.”

“The Bangsamoro government must pursue an investigation, establishing whether the victims were targeted based on their sexual orientation or gender identity,” read one resolution.

This ensures that LGBTQ+ people are protected from illegal acts and prevent discrimination, harassment, and inhumane and unfair treatment.

“No one has the license to unfairly treat any person on account of race, ethnicity, religion, beliefs or sexual preference. The freedom to choose particularly on sexual preference is internationally recognized, and their rights ought to be respected,” the resolution further read.

The resolution condemning the killing of MSU students were introduced by MPs Rasol Mitmug Jr., Laisa Alamia, Suharto Ambolodto, Baintan Adil-Ampatuan, Don Loong, Rasul Ismael, Amir Mawallil, and Punduma Sani.

The resolution condemning the acts of violence against members of the LGBTQ+ community was sponsored by MPs Anayatin, Maisara Latiph, Bainon Karon, Muslima Asmawil, and Narciso Ekey.

COTABATO CITY – To provide the people of Tawi-Tawi greater access to health services, a group of lawmakers in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) filed a bill establishing a health facility in the island town of Sitangkai.

Another regional legislator also filed a separate bill upgrading the Balindong Municipal Hospital (BMH) in Lanao del Sur to address the rising demand for health services.

Two bills were filed before the Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA) parliament on Wednesday.

The Parliament Bill (P.B.) 128, creating a general hospital in Sitangkai, Tawi-Tawi, was introduced on first reading.

Currently, only the Alawadin T. Bandon Sr. Municipal Hospital is operating in Sitangkai.

On the other hand, P.B. 102, which seeks to upgrade the existing BMH in Lanao del Sur from its present 10-bed capacity to a 50-bed capacity district hospital, was presented on second reading and referred to committees on health and finance, budget, and management.

Members of Parliament (MPs) Amilbahar Mawallil, Laisa Alamia, Baintan Ampatuan, Don Mustapha Loong, Rasol Mitmug Jr., Suharto Ambolodto, Abraham Burahan, and Sittie Shahara Mastura authored the bill creating a new health facility in Tawi-Tawi.

MP Saffrullah Dipatuan, meanwhile, filed P.B. 102. Sitangkai is one of Tawi-Tawi’s most populated island towns.

It is located in the southernmost part of the Philippines, close to Malaysia and Indonesia.

“Providing medical services should be a priority for the Bangsamoro region—especially in Sitangkai,” Mawallil said in a statement.

Mawallil said as the Covid-19 virus continues to rise across the BARMM, most hospitals had reached their capacity limit.

The BMH has been obligated to render services that exceed its approved bed capacity.

“This is based on the Ministry of Health (MOH)-BARMM hospital statistics report in 2019,” Dipatuan said in a statement.

He said if the existing BMH is upgraded more patients would be catered. To date, more than 12 bills are in the plenary all seeking the improvement and establishment of hospitals within the region.

Aside from passing legislation, the BARMM government provides health assistance to frontline health workers and patients.

The MOH-BARMM had extended various interventions to hospitals that include ambulances, appropriation of cash aids, and distribution of medical supplies such as oxygen tanks, among others, in recent months. (PNA)

*Originally published on Philippine News Agency (https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1154274)

COTABATO CITY – A group of lawmakers in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) has pushed for the creation of the Bangsamoro Nutrition Council (BNC) to address the high prevalence of malnutrition in the region.

Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA) – BARMM Member of Parliament (MP) Amilbahar Mawallil, the principal author of the proposal, has filed Parliament Bill 130, which seeks to create the BNC.

Under the proposed measure, it will be attached to the Ministry of Health – BARMM and serve as the primary agency for nutrition concerns during natural and man-made calamities.

“It is vital therefore to institutionalize mechanisms, such as preventive health care and proper nutrition, to address these problems,” Mawallil said in a statement Wednesday.

Citing the findings of the 8th National Nutrition Survey, Mawallil said the region has the second-highest undernutrition prevalence for stunting at 39 percent; the second-highest chronic energy deficiency rate at 13.2 percent; the third-highest prevalence of anemia among the elderly at 26.6 percent; and the fifth-highest prevalence of adult current smokers at 28 percent.

Co-authors of the regional bill are MPs Laisa Alamia, Rasol Mitmug Jr., Suharto Ambolodto, Baintan Ampatuan, Don Mustapha Loong, Abraham Burahan, and Sittie Shahara Mastura.

“Food security is vital in realizing and sustaining a healthy nutritional wellbeing,” the authors of the bill said in an explanatory note.

Through the proposed nutrition council, the BARMM government will establish a mechanism for facilitating collaboration among agencies, sectors, and stakeholders.

The BARMM has developed its Regional Action Plan for 2020-2022 as a strategic and comprehensive plan to respond to the Bangsamoro region’s nutritional problems.

There are still gaps that must be addressed if the region intended to meet not just national but global nutrition standards.

“Our ongoing experience with the coronavirus disease is a stark reminder that as the pandemic rages on, it will only exacerbate existing inequalities in the country and the Bangsamoro region,” the authors said in the note.

The bill proposes that the council consist of 14 members representing various ministries and sectors, including non-Moro indigenous people, women, the youth, and settler communities.

Its powers and functions include promoting food security and formulating regional food and health policies in the region.

The BARMM covers the cities of Cotabato, Lamitan and Marawi; the provinces of Maguindanao, Lanao del Sur, Sulu, Basilan and Tawi-Tawi; and the 63 villages in six towns of North Cotabato province. (PNA)

*Originally published on Philippine News Agency (https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1154256)