By Jim Lloyd Dongiapon
The first of a series of public consultations for the passage of the Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA) Parliament Bill No. 29, also known as the Bangsamoro Electoral Code, concluded today, October 21, held at Crowne Plaza Manila Galleria in Quezon City.
The consultations are intended to assist the Bangsamoro government in establishing the structural, organizational, and procedural guidelines for the first regional elections, which will take place in 2025.
Participants from civil society groups and election watchdogs, including the Legal Network for Truthful Elections (LENTE), National Citizen’s Movement for Free Elections (NAMFREL), Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting (PPCRV), Ateneo School of Government (ASOG), Philippine Center for Islam and Democracy (PCID), Bangsamoro Free Election Movement (BFEM), Women Engage in Action on UNSCR 1E25 (WeAct), Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP), Tanggapang Panligal ng Katutubong Pilipino (PANLIPI), Catholic Bishop Conference of the Philippines (CBCP), and Mindanao Organization for Social and Economic Progress, Inc. (MOSEP) took part in today’s consultation.
Meanwhile, the Commission on Elections (COMELEC), the Philippine National Police (PNP), and Bangsamoro legislators in the House of Representatives, and other invited resource speakers, attended the first day of the meetings on Thursday, October 20.
Atty. Sha Elijah B. Dumama-Alba, Chairperson of the Committee on Rules of the Bangsamoro Parliament, shared that Chief Minister Ahod Ebrahim has promised President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos, Jr. that the Bangsamoro Electoral Code will be passed as early as the first quarter of 2023.
She added that by December of this year, the BTA Parliament will also hold consultations in the provinces of Basilan, Sulu, Tawi-Tawi, Maguindanao del Norte, Maguindanao del Sur, Lanao Del Sur, and the Special Geographic Areas in North Cotabato.
“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 added.
At the same time, Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation, and Unity Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr., who was also present in today’s consultations, expressed confidence that the region’s electoral code would be passed on time, citing that the Bangsamoro government has shown “moral conviction” in upholding their commitment to the President.
The region’s proposed electoral law is one of the seven (7) codes the Bangsamoro government needs to pass during the transition period.
The first regular Bangsamoro Parliament is expected to hold office by June 30, 2025, following the elections scheduled for May 12, 2025.
Bangsamoro was supposed to hold its elections in May this year, but the national government in 2021 approved its postponement, mainly due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the absence of the Bangsamoro Electoral Code.