BARMM bill proposes to combat corruption

COTABATO CITY - A proposed bill aimed at curbing corruption within the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) has entered its first reading today, June 21, in the plenary.

The BTA Bill No. 169, or the Bangsamoro Investigative Research Agency Act of 2023, seeks to establish a mechanism that will effectively address these issues and provide for a more transparent and accountable governance system.

Member of the Parliament Mohammad Kelie Antao, the principal author of the bill, emphasized the potential of this measure to become a significant legacy of the present Bangsamoro Parliament and leadership.

Antao commended the leadership's consistent advocacy for moral governance and highlighted the importance of preventing corruption and development aggression, even in the absence of serious problems in the region currently.

He believes that the bill has the potential to discourage corrupt practices, whether through direct or indirect means. By promoting complete adherence to moral governance among Bangsamoro public servants in their respective roles and responsibilities, he envisions a workplace administration and public service that are wholesome, inspired, passionate, and straightforward.

The implementation of moral governance, according to Antao, will contribute to peace and security, socio-political stability, economic growth, a stable ecological balance, and intercultural vigor within the Bangsamoro region.

Key provisions of the proposed legislation include the establishment of the Bangsamoro Investigative Research Agency (BIRA). This agency will provide professional investigation services and research outputs, collaborating with trusted private individuals, groups, public servants, or offices.

It will also develop a functional information and data system to support the Bangsamoro government in creating inclusive and harmonious political, social, economic, cultural, and ecological environments throughout the region. The agency's insights, decisions, and actions will consistently provide tactical and strategic advantages to the government.

Operating under the Office of the Chief Minister (OCM), the BIRA will directly assist the chief minister in detecting and investigating public servants suspected of engaging in corruption, private individuals rumored to be involved in development aggression-inducing programs, projects, and activities, and potential collaborations between public and private entities.

Moreover, the agency will gather essential information to design coordinated programs and actions that bolster the OCM's administrative concerns regarding moral governance, development justice, and the security of the Bangsamoro region. (LTAIS-Public Information, Publication, and Media Relations Division)