COTABATO CITY— To address the issues and concerns of the Badjao community, including poverty, unemployment, education, health, and housing, a measure has been filed in the Bangsamoro Parliament.

A sole Bangsamoro lawmaker has recently introduced a bill that seeks to advance and protect the fundamental political and human rights of the Badjao communities in the BARMM.

In introducing the BARMM Badjao Development Project Act, MP Adzfar Usman cited the difficulties of Badjao communities, including “lack of access to basic social services, poverty, and discrimination.”

The bill notes that the Badjao community is considered to be one of the most marginalized and isolated ethnic groups in the region at individual, familial, and communal levels.

The BARMM Development Project will assist the Badjao in establishing, rehabilitating, and developing their own village in order to support and safeguard their marine ecology and way of life against encroachment by commercial fisheries, high sea robbery, and other threats.

In order to oversee, implement, and mobilize resources for the BARMM Badjao Development Project, a Project Management Office (PMO) will be set up under the Office of the Chief Minister.

Parliament Bill No. 148 is co-authored by MPs Eddie Alih and Romeo Sema. (LTAIS-Public Information, Publication, and Media Relations Division)