COTABATO CITY (December 22, 2022) — Member of the Parliament Amilbahar Mawallil has reintroduced six legislative measures aimed at expanding and improving the region’s airport and terminal building infrastructure, establishing a seaweed industry development authority, and making dialysis treatment available at no cost to indigent patients.
Other measures include declaring the Balobok cave in Bongao, Tawi-Tawi as a regional heritage zone, memorializing the top 90 and top 300 core members of the Moro National Liberation Front, and promoting clean water throughout the region.
The first of the six bills introduced is Parliament Bill No. 84, which mandates the Bangsamoro Commission for the Preservation of the Cultural Heritage (BCPCH) to produce and publish the official names of the MNLF’s Top 90 and Top 300 core members.
The BCPCH should build a regional monument to honor the ideals and bravery shown by the core members who fought for the Bangsamoro struggle.
The top 90 were composed of different ethnolinguistic groups of the region who questioned the socio-political landscape in Mindanao and aimed to fight social injustices towards the Bangsamoro people.
“The top 90 and top 300 core members, the unsung champions of the Bangsamoro struggle, should be given proper recognition for the bravery they have manifested in continuously fighting for our rights,” said Mawallil.
BTA Bill No. 85, or the BARMM Airport Terminal Infrastructure Modernization Act of 2022, promotes the modernization and development of all airport terminal building facilities in the Bangsamoro region.
According to the proposed measure, the Bangsamoro government will provide adequate and suitable airport facilities through its continuous repair, maintenance, and development.
Once approved, the respective airport operators must submit a master plan for the long-term development of all airport passenger terminal infrastructure and facilities within BARMM to support the modernization of existing airport facilities.
“This bill seeks to ensure an integrated manner of operating regional airport terminals and to avoid conflicting policies and programs on airport maintenance, operation, and development,” MP Mawallil said.
MP Mawallil also proposes the establishment of the Seaweed Industry Development Authority, which will develop an integrated development framework for the region’s seaweed industry.
He said the Bangsamoro government must be able to manage and improve seaweed culture and wild harvest techniques and output so that the relevant socio-economic benefits are “not lost and that the quality of the fresh or processed seaweed is maintained.”
BTA Bill No. 87, or the Balobok Cave Preservation Act of 2022, seeks to declare the Balobok Cave, located in Barangay Lakit-Lakit, Bongao, Tawi-Tawi, as a regional heritage zone.
MP Mawallil said that this is to preserve, protect, promote, and develop the cave, as it is found to be one of the earliest human settlements in Southeast Asia, dating back to 8,000 years ago.
A “regional heritage zone” refers to historical, anthropological, archeological, and artistic geographic areas that are culturally significant to the Bangsamoro region.
In addition, MP Mawallil reintroduced BTA Bill No. 88, also known as the BARMM Dialysis Center Act of 2022, which would require all public hospitals in the region to establish dialysis units.
The dialysis units should have enough machines, equipment, paraphernalia, and supplies, as well as sufficient medical and other personnel, such as nephrologists, dialysis nurses, dialysis technicians, and operating room nurses, for both peritoneal and hemodialysis.
The Ministry of Health must ensure that indigent patients, as identified by the Ministry of Social Services and Development, receive free dialysis treatments in all regional government hospitals.
Lastly, BTA Bill No. 89, also known as the Safe Drinking Water Act of 2022, aims to preserve and restore water resources while also ensuring access to safe drinking water.
According to the proposed measure, the Bangsamoro government should develop an effective water quality management system aimed at protecting human health, preventing drinking water health hazards, and protecting, preserving, and reviving the region’s fresh, brackish, and marine waters. (LTAIS-Public Information, Publication, and Media Relations Division)