COTABATO CITY — Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr., Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation and Unity, said that the Bangsamoro government has shown “moral conviction” to uphold their commitment to the President of enacting the proposed electoral code in the first quarter of 2023.
Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr., Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation and Unity.
Galvez expressed his confidence that the electoral code would be passed
on schedule, giving the Commission on Elections, regional political parties and
other stakeholders sufficient time to prepare for the 2025 synchronized
elections.
BARMM Chief Minister Ahod Balawag Ebrahim has vowed to President
Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and the Bangsamoro constituents that the passage of the
electoral and local governance codes would be hastened for the Bangsamoro
Transition Authority (BTA) to uphold its mandate under the Bangsamoro Organic
Law.
The Moro Islamic Liberation Front-led interim government in the region
must enact the remaining priority codes, such as electoral, local governance,
revenue, and indigenous peoples’ rights during the transition period.
It has already enacted three codes: administrative, civil service, and
education.
On October 21, the Bangsamoro Parliament concluded the first of a series
of public consultations on the region’s proposed electoral law, which outlines
the structural, organizational, and procedural rules for regional officials’
elections.
To help improve the proposed electoral code, experts and resource
persons from the Commission on Elections, the Philippine National Police,
BARMM’s district representatives, election watchdogs, civil society
organizations, and other key stakeholders shared their inputs, comments, and
recommendations for the draft code.
Bangsamoro Parliament Floor Leader Atty. Sha Elijah Dumama-Alba stressed
that the code reflects the uniqueness of elections in the Bangsamoro region,
which has a parliamentary form of government.
“It’s going to be novel in the Philippines that’s why our fellow
Filipinos should also keep track, if it’s going to be beneficial to the
Bangsamoro it might also be advantageous to the country,” said Dumama-Alba.
The electoral code, according to Deputy Speaker Atty. Omar Sema, is “at
the very core of the democratic process that ensures our people will freely
exercise their fundamental right to suffrage, to vote, and to be voted upon, as
guaranteed by the 1987 Constitution.”
The proposed measure, he said, must pave the way for genuine, credible,
free, honest, open, and orderly elections. He also said that the Bangsamoro
Parliament will ensure that the proposed law will be free of constitutional
infirmities.
The first regular election for the Bangsamoro government under the
Bangsamoro Organic Law will be held and synchronized with the 2025 national
elections.
“By 2025, we expect to engage in political activity in which we will
elect our leaders in the regular Bangsamoro government as well as our
constituents to local government units,” said Deputy Floor Leader Atty. Raissa
Jajurie.
She explained that Parliament wants to ensure that “this political
exercise, as well as those that will follow it, reflects the choice of the
people in the Bangsamoro and helps define the parliamentary system that we have
chosen.”
The BTA’s Rules Committee will proceed to Basilan, Sulu, and Tawi-Tawi
for the next round of public consultations, followed by Maguindanao, Lanao del
Sur, and Special Geographic Areas.
The Bangsamoro peace process entails the completion of two
tracks—normalization and political. The political track is the setting up of
the autonomous government, while the normalization track is the decommissioning
of former combatants.
Parliament to expedite passage of electoral code
Dumama-Alba has vowed to expedite the passage of a bill seeking to
establish an electoral code for the region.
The BTA is doubling down on the enactment of the code in keeping with
the commitment of Ebrahim to have it approved by the first quarter of 2023. While
expediting the passage of the proposed measure, the Parliament wants to ensure
that the electoral code would be free of any constitutional flaws.
The Parliament’s Rules Committee has started holding the public
consultations with experts and resource persons from the Commission on
Elections, the Philippine National Police, and Bangsamoro district
representatives
The committee’s chair, Dumama-Alba, emphasized the importance of holding
public consultations to refine the draft electoral code. According to
Dumama-Alba, the electoral code that will govern the region’s parliamentary
elections is new in the Philippines.
She noted that the passage of such legislation is crucial because BARMM
has a parliamentary form of government, which is not the case for the rest of
the country, adding the rationale for holding public consultations is to
facilitate wider participation in legislation and policy-making processes.
She also stated that it would provide the government with a better
opportunity to take the most beneficial stance for the Bangsamoro people.
“The conduct of public consultations as part of the legislative
requirement is important as it engenders transparency and accountability in the
process of legislation and provides space for stakeholders and the public in
general to participate,” she said, noting that they are adhering to their
commitment to enact the code by the timeline.
Deputy Speaker Atty. Nabil Tan stated that getting expert insights and
engaging with all sectors of the community is necessary because they will be
active participants in the election. He added that the code would set the tone
for the 2025 elections and provide parameters for the regular parliament
elections.
Among the most urgent laws that the BTA must pass before the end of the
transition period is the Bangsamoro Electoral Code of 2022, which will
prescribe the structural, organizational, and procedural rules for the election
of regional officials.
The proposed measure seeks to guarantee that elections are fair, open,
and reflective of the true will of the electorate in the region. The rules
committee is also calling for position papers in order to solicit feedback on
the proposed code.
The BTA is the interim government of the region during the transition
period. (LTAIS-Public Information, Publication, and Media Relations Division)
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