COTABATO CITY – Officials and members of the Development Administration Committee (DACom), a sectoral committee under the Bangsamoro Economic and Development Council (BEDC), convened today, June 29, for its second regular meeting presided by Director General Khalid Dumagay, who represented Atty. Naguib Sinarimbo, the committee Chair and Minister of the Ministry of Interior and Local Government (MILG).
During the meeting, said committee tackled the preparations for the upcoming “2023 Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) Elections” set on October 30, 2023. In line with the election period, Bai Maceda Lidasan-Abo, Election Officer III of the Commission on Elections (COMELEC-BARMM), shared that a ‘gun ban’ will be implemented on August 28 to November 29, 2023.
Abo further presented the calendar of activities for the said election. The filing of the ‘Certificate of Candidacy’ will be on August 28 to September 2, while campaigning is strictly prohibited on September 3 to October 18. The campaign period will officially commence on October 19 until October 28, while campaigning is prohibited on October 29-30, and a ‘liquor ban’ will be implemented.
In addition, Dominador Gonzales, Jr., Director II of the Civil Service Commission (CSC-BARMM), disclosed that hiring and promotion of personnel in all government offices will be strictly prohibited on September 15 to October 29 as part of the restrictions for the 2023 Barangay and SK Elections.
Atty. Abdel Jamal Disangcopan, Director of the BTA Parliament, provided an update on BTA Bill No. 30, or the Bangsamoro Local Governance Code (BLGC) which seeks to provide a more responsive and accountable local government structure through decentralization and aims to strengthen the supervisory power of the Bangsamoro Government through the MILG.
The DILG-NEDA-DBM-DOF Joint Memorandum Circular (JMC) No. 1 series of 2016-1 was presented by the MILG, aiming to have parallel rationalized planning guidelines for the BARMM.
The MILG also presented the 2022 State of Local Governance Report in BARMM. Accordingly, the ministry used the Local Government Functionality Appraisal (LoGFA), a performance oversight tool that intends to assess the functionality of local government units (LGUs) in the BARMM.
Moreover, the committee has agreed to draft a proposed resolution recommending to the BEDC to formulate localized resolutions for the creation of a Regional Technical Management Team for the assessment of local plans.
The committee further discussed the adoption of the DACom resolution requesting for the organization of the Bangsamoro Budget Coordinating Committee (BBCC) composed of the Ministry of Finance and Budget and Management (MFBM), the Office of the Chief Minister (OCM), and the Bangsamoro Planning and Development Authority (BPDA) that would lead the formulation of Annual Investment Program (AIP) and the level of expenditures.
Suharto S. Wahab, Director II of the Ministry of Human Settlements and Development (MHSD), discussed the proposed research agenda, entitled “BARMM Housing Regulation and Development Control” that will focus on establishing comprehensive regulations and control measures for housing projects and programs within the BARMM. This agenda aims to ensure the safety, quality, and sustainability of housing and human settlements while fostering responsible development and promoting inclusive and sustainable communities within the BARMM.
As the counterpart of NEDA in the region, the BPDA presented to the committee members the guidelines for the “2023 Search for Outstanding Volunteers (SOV)” to solicit their support in disseminating information to reach our Bangsamoro volunteers and urge them to join this annual search.
Spearheaded by the Philippine National Volunteer Service Coordinating Agency (PNVSCA), an office under the NEDA, the SOV aims to identify and recognize outstanding Filipino volunteers and volunteer organizations for their exemplary performance and achievements in empowering communities and promoting volunteerism as a way of life, contributory to nation-building.
Meanwhile, the MILG, being the committee chair, awarded a ‘Certificate of Appreciation’ to its member ministries, offices, and agencies, in recognition of their invaluable contribution for the success of the series of activities and services conducted on ‘Governance Day’ spearheaded by the DACom during the week-long celebration of the 4th BARMM founding anniversary held last January 21-27, 2023. (𝑀𝑎𝑟𝑦 𝐿𝑜𝑣𝑒𝑙𝑙𝑎 𝐿𝑎𝑜-𝐿𝑎𝑠𝑡𝑖𝑚𝑜𝑠𝑎, 𝐵𝑃𝐷𝐴-𝐵𝐴𝑅𝑀𝑀)