COTABATO CITY ― An agency responsible for the development and preservation of Lake Lanao will be established once the Bangsamoro Parliament approves BTA Bill No. 111.

Several lawmakers have introduced a bill to establish the Ranaw Development Authority, a quasi-judicial regulatory body that will oversee the use, exploration, development, protection, restoration, and maintenance of Lake Lanao and the area’s natural resources.

The Ranaw Development Authority, attached to the Ministry of Environment, Natural Resources, and Energy (MENRE), will be the primary government agency that is responsible for coordination, planning, management, and implementation of development programs and resource utilization of inland waters covered by the Ranao region.

Ranaw Region, as defined in PB No. 111, includes all inland waters identified as Ranaw and all other lakes within Lanao del Sur, as well as all towns and municipalities.

Once approved, the Ranaw Development Authority will consist of a board of directors led by Lanao del Sur’s MENRE provincial director.

To carry out the strategies and objectives of the authority, a comprehensive master plan will also be created in coordination with the relevant local government units.

The Ranaw Development Act was first filed in the plenary by former Member of the Parliament Atty. Maisara Dandamun-Latiph.

It was then introduced in the second parliament by MPs Diamila Ramos, Lanang Ali Jr., Ali Solaiman, Marjanie Macasalong, Abdullah Macapaar, Basit Abbas, Said Shiek, Ali Montaha Babao, Khalid Hadji Abdullah, Abdulazis Amenodin, Nabila Margarita Pangandaman, Amroussi Macatanong, Eddie Alih, Amilbahar Mawallil, and Rasol Mitmug Jr.

In the first parliament, public consultations were already conducted for the said proposed measure, which was included among the priority legislation.

MPs Susana Anayatin, Baintan Ampatuan, and Suharto Esmael co-authored the bill. (LTAIS-Public Information, Publication, and Media Relations Division)