COTABATO CITY — Bangsamoro lawmakers introduced eight legislative measures for students, coffee farmers, and human rights defenders.
A proposed bill seeking to establish a Bangsamoro Scholarship and Return Service Program, which would aid qualified students from the region who wish to pursue education and training in any state universities and colleges in the country, has been refiled by Member of the Parliament Amilbahar Mawallil.
After completing their studies at state universities and colleges, the scholar will be absorbed into the Bangsamoro government and will receive an appropriate civil service rank, salary, and other benefits.
As part of his legislative agenda, MP Mawallil also introduced Parliament Bill No. 62, also known as the Bangsamoro Coffee Industry Development Act of 2022, which proposes to create a Bangsamoro Coffee Research and Development Institute to promote, develop, and oversee the coffee industry in the region.
The said institution will be based at Mindanao State University in Jolo, Sulu.
In another measure, PB No. 63, also known as Conflict Sensitive Planning in the Bangsamoro Act of 2022, covers all provincial, city, and municipal governments and barangays in the region, as well as the Ministry of Interior and Local Government and all other concerned ministries, agencies, and instrumentalities preparing the Comprehensive Development Plan (CDP), Contingency Plan, and Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Plan.
He also proposed to establish a Bangsamoro Museum, which will be the repository of artifacts, works of art, and textual and iconographic records relevant to the cultural memory of the Bangsamoro.
Another proposed bill introduced would declare March 18 a special non-working public holiday to commemorate the Jabidah incident.
Once approved, the day will be observed by all government agencies, high schools, colleges, and universities, including the Police Regional Office in the region.
In an effort to promote and protect the rights of human rights defenders in the region, he also refiled PB No. 66, also known as the Bangsamoro Human Rights Defenders Protection Act of 2022.
To ensure that human rights violations committed during the armed conflict in Mindanao are properly documented, Deputy Speaker Laisa Alamia proposed Parliament Bill No. 21, also known as the Bangsamoro Armed Conflict Human Rights Violations Documentation Act.
Meanwhile, all constituent local government units in the Bangsamoro region will allocate a minimum of 2,000 square meters of land for every thousand people within their respective jurisdictions, as proposed under PB No. 67, also known as the Bangsamoro Public Cemetery Act of 2022.
The proposed legislative measures were co-authored by MPs Engr. Baintan Ampatuan, Atty. Rasol Mitmug Jr., Atty. Suharto Ambolodto, Rasul Ismael, and Engr. Don Mustapha Loong. (LTAIS-Public Information, Publication, and Media Relations Division)