Tawi-Tawi officials thank Bangsamoro Parliament for consulting them on proposed Electoral Code

TAWI-TAWI - The provincial government of Tawi-Tawi expressed gratitude to the Bangsamoro Parliament for holding a public consultation on the proposed Bangsamoro Electoral Code in the southernmost province of the Philippines.

Tawi-Tawi Governor Yshmael Sali thanked the Bangsamoro Parliament and its members for coming to Tawi-Tawi to listen to their opinions, comments, and suggestions about the proposed code.

Given its location, Governor Sali said that Tawi-Tawi is always the last to be visited. He is delighted that they were given top priority this time.

The public consultation in the said province was attended by 16 members of Parliament, the largest delegation at the simultaneous public consultations in the island provinces.

Local chief executives from all over the province, from as far as the Municipality of Turtle Islands, participated in the public consultation.

The BTA Bill No. 29, or the Bangsamoro Electoral Code, will govern the 2025 elections.

It will prescribe the structural, functional, and procedural principles in the elections of members of the Parliament in the Bangsamoro region and also ensure honest, credible, just, and free elections, allowing democratic political participation and reflecting the genuine will of the electorate.

As the only region in the Philippines to hold regional elections, Deputy Floor Leader and Rules Committee Vice-Chair Atty. Raissa Jajurie explained during the public consultation that the Parliament wants to create a law that reflects the unique features of BARMM.

In order to prepare for that milestone in strengthening the BARMM, she added, "We want to make sure that there is a law as soon as 2023."

Under the Bangsamoro Organic Law, BEC is one of the seven priority laws that the BTA is mandated to enact.

The second day of the public consultation on the same proposed code will be on December 7, 2022, and will be attended by non-government stakeholders such as representatives from civil society organizations, the academic community, and religious sectors.

Position papers may be submitted until December 8, 2022. (LTAIS-Public Information, Publication, and Media Relations Division)