COTABATO CITY – After a series of public consultations for the proposed Bangsamoro Electoral Code, the Committee on Rules held its last leg of consultations with stakeholders in Lanao del Sur.
The Rules Committee, chaired by Floor Leader Atty. Sha Elijah Dumama-Alba, has consulted with experts from the Commission on Elections, election watchdogs, local government units, civil society organizations, academic institutions, religious groups, and other relevant stakeholders.
The Parliament Bill No. 29, or the Bangsamoro Electoral Code, is a crucial measure that will outline the structural, functional, and procedural principles for holding elections for officers in the region.
In 2021, President Rodrigo Duterte inked Republic Act No. 11593, which moves the election of officials in the BARMM from 2022 to 2025.
The Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF)-led interim government, during the transition period, should enact priority codes such as administrative, civil service, education, electoral, local governance, revenue, and indigenous people's rights.
To date, the Parliament has enacted administrative, civil service, and education codes, while electoral and local governance codes are at the committee level.
Following the extension of the transition period and the appointment of the new 80 members of the parliament, BARMM Chief Minister Ahod Balawag Ebrahim vowed to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. that the electoral and local governance codes would be enacted in the first quarter of 2023.
While expediting the passage of the proposed measure, the Parliament ensures that the electoral code will be free of any constitutional flaws and gives the COMELEC, political parties, and other stakeholders sufficient time to prepare for the 2025 synchronized elections.
Atty. Dumama-Alba said that the electoral law that will govern the parliamentary elections is unique in the Philippines. The proposed electoral code was introduced in Parliament in September last year, during the first week of the second parliament's session.
Starting in October 2022, the committee held consultations in Manila, Basilan, Sulu, Tawi-Tawi, Maguindanao, Lanao del Sur, Cotabato City, and the BARMM Special Geographic Area.
The committee has so far gathered 208 pages of recommendations and position papers from various government and non-government stakeholders for the proposed code.
The constitutionality, anti-political dynasty, qualifications of elective officials, inclusion of women, youth, and the religious sector, among others, were some of the concerns raised by all stakeholders.
Atty. Dumama-Alba said that the committee will thoroughly discuss the proposed electoral law at the committee level, assuring the public that it will be a product of the constituents' input and reflective of their needs.
The proposed code will ensure that elections in the region are fair, credible, and free.
With the parliamentary system in place, the Parliament will be composed of 80 members, with party representatives receiving 50% of the seats, district representatives receiving 40%, and reserved seats and sectoral representatives receiving 10%.
The Chief Minister, who is also a member of Parliament, will be elected by a simple majority vote of the members of Parliament on the first day of the session, after all members of Parliament have been elected.
The proposed electoral code is also gaining the support of Lanao del Sur stakeholders. Several groups have expressed support for the passage of the Parliament Bill No. 29, or the Bangsamoro Electoral Code.
Representatives from Lanao del Sur’s provincial, city, municipal, and barangay local government units, as well as the Commission on Elections, academic institutions, civil society organizations, religious sectors, and other relevant stakeholders, participated in the sixth and final leg of public consultations for the said code.
Atty. Dimnatang Pansar, president of the Mayor's League in Lanao del Sur, is optimistic that the electoral code will be enacted on time. He also said that the code will benefit the entire Bangsamoro people.
Another group, representing the academic institution, Schools Division Superintendent of Lanao del Sur 1, Dr. Sahanee Macarampat-Sumagayan, said that the teachers in the province are fully committed to achieving long-lasting peace in the region and that they are one of the sectors that supported the ratification of the Bangsamoro Organic Law.
She also made some recommendations on the proposed BEC, suggesting that facilities for those with disabilities, senior citizens, and women should be provided during elections.
Women's representation, a sectoral seat for Imam and Ulama, constitutionality, party district representatives, registration of political parties, representation of women, youth, and the religious sector in the proposed law were among the concerns raised by the constituencies in Lanao del Sur.
The electoral code is a key measure that will prescribe the structural, functional, and procedural principles in the conduct of elections for officers in the Bangsamoro region. It will ensure that the election of officers in the Bangsamoro region is honest, just, free, and credible.
A series of public consultations have already been conducted in Manila, Basilan, Sulu, Tawi-Tawi, Maguindanao, Cotabato City, and the BARMM Special Geographic Area with experts from the national commission on elections, election watchdogs, provincial, city, and municipal representatives, civil society organizations, religious sectors, academic institutions, and other relevant stakeholders.
A 200-page consolidated matrix of position papers, excluding those from Lanao del Sur, has already been gathered by the committee. (LTAIS-Public Information, Publication, and Media Relations Division)
Representatives from Lanao del Sur’s provincial, city, municipal, and barangay local government units, as well as the Commission on Elections, academic institutions, civil society organizations, religious sectors, and other relevant stakeholders, participated in the sixth and final leg of public consultations for the said code.
Atty. Dimnatang Pansar, president of the Mayor's League in Lanao del Sur, is optimistic that the electoral code will be enacted on time. He also said that the code will benefit the entire Bangsamoro people.
Another group, representing the academic institution, Schools Division Superintendent of Lanao del Sur 1, Dr. Sahanee Macarampat-Sumagayan, said that the teachers in the province are fully committed to achieving long-lasting peace in the region and that they are one of the sectors that supported the ratification of the Bangsamoro Organic Law.
She also made some recommendations on the proposed BEC, suggesting that facilities for those with disabilities, senior citizens, and women should be provided during elections.
Women's representation, a sectoral seat for Imam and Ulama, constitutionality, party district representatives, registration of political parties, representation of women, youth, and the religious sector in the proposed law were among the concerns raised by the constituencies in Lanao del Sur.
The electoral code is a key measure that will prescribe the structural, functional, and procedural principles in the conduct of elections for officers in the Bangsamoro region. It will ensure that the election of officers in the Bangsamoro region is honest, just, free, and credible.
A series of public consultations have already been conducted in Manila, Basilan, Sulu, Tawi-Tawi, Maguindanao, Cotabato City, and the BARMM Special Geographic Area with experts from the national commission on elections, election watchdogs, provincial, city, and municipal representatives, civil society organizations, religious sectors, academic institutions, and other relevant stakeholders.
A 200-page consolidated matrix of position papers, excluding those from Lanao del Sur, has already been gathered by the committee. (LTAIS-Public Information, Publication, and Media Relations Division)
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