COTABATO CITY - A proposed law aims to give stronger and more stable representation to Indigenous Peoples women and settler women in the Bangsamoro Women Commission (BWC) by creating permanent commissioner positions for the two sectors.
Parliament Bill No. 474, filed by Members of the Parliament Susana Salvador Anayatin and Froilyn Mendoza, seeks to amend the Bangsamoro Administrative Code of 2023 by changing the current ex officio seats of the Ministry of Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs (MIPA) and the Office for Settler Communities (OSC) into regular commissioner positions.
At present, the heads of MIPA and OSC, or their representatives, serve as ex officio members of the BWC.
The bill said this setup may affect the continuity of representation because membership depends on the officials’ positions and could change with changes in the administration.
Under the proposed measure, one regular commissioner would represent non-Moro Indigenous Peoples women, while another would represent settler women. These commissioners would be appointed in their own capacity, with fixed terms and the same responsibilities, benefits, and privileges as other members of the commission.
The bill provides that the commissioner for non-Moro Indigenous Peoples women would be chosen from a list of nominees submitted by MIPA, while the commissioner for settler women would come from nominees endorsed by the OSC.
The proposed commissioners would work independently and would not be considered representatives of the offices that nominated them.
The measure also requires the Chief Minister to appoint the two sectoral commissioners within 90 days after the law takes effect. Until their appointment, the current ex officio members would remain in their posts to ensure that the BWC’s work continues.
The bill also directs the BWC, together with the Office of the Chief Minister, MIPA, and OSC, to create the rules needed to implement the proposed changes. (PR)
