BCOBAR, BTA Parliament, CSOs hold 2nd conference
BANGSAMORO NEWS UPDATES • 10:45 AM Fri Mar 6, 2020
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By:
Gilmar A. Lao/BTA Parliament
(BCOBAR) National chair Amroding D. Rasul (center) convenes the 2nd BCOBAR-BTA-CSOs Wednesday to further discuss the creation of the Office of the BCOBAR. With him is Norhain Candao from speaker’s office and Roy Tamano of Bangsamoro Overseas.
COTABATO CITY -- The Bangsamoro Communities Outside of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region (BCOBAR) Federation together with the Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA) Parliament and select non-government organizations successfully conducted its second conference Wednesday, March 04, 2020 held at the BTA Executive Lounge, Bangsamoro Government Center, this city.
The conference was led by BCOBAR National Chairman Amroding D. Rasul together with Parliament Speaker Representative Norhaine Candao and Civil Society Organizations Representative Selahuddin Yu Hashim of The Moropreneur, Inc.
The one-day activity discussed matters pertaining to the proposed issuance of the Executive Order by the Chief Minister creating the Office of the Bangsamoro Communities outside of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region (BCOBAR) and the Bill No. 15 authored by lawyer and Member of the Parliament (MP) Maisara C. Dandamun-Latiph and co-authored by MP Abdullah G. Macapaar.
MP Latiph has filed a bill late last year seeking to create a regional office that will address the needs of Bangsamoro communities outside the territory. Bill No. 15 is ''An act creating the Office of the Bangsamoro Communities Outside Bangsamoro Autonomous Region defining its powers, functions and responsibilities and appropriating funds therefor and for other purpose.”
In a separate interview, Latiph said “the assistance to the Bangsamoro communities outside BARMM should not be optional.” Prior to the conference, BCOBAR and the CSOs look forward to the enactment of Bill No. 15 into law rather than pushing for an Executive Order.
Selahuddin Yu Hashim, Chief Executive Officer of The Moropreneur expressed optimism on Bill No. 15. “Inshaallah, the bill shall be enacted into law soon and we hope it won’t take too long,” Hashim said.
BCOBAR Federation National Chairman Amroding D. Rasul stressed to the members of the federation of their support even prior to the creation of the Bangsamoro Authority Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM). “We have the bill now at least. Even before the Bangsamoro Organic Law and the Bangsamoro Basic Law, we’re already here since we are Mujahideens.
Let us look back and let us not forget that. This endeavor is for the benefit of the Bangsamoro communities outside BARMM,” Rasul said. Rasul also pointed out the very reason why they are in Mindanao and that is “to help their fellow Bangsamoro.”
“They needed our help. We must understand the reason why we are here and it is for the welfare of the Bangsamoro people,” Rasul added. MP Latiph, who later joined the conference via phone patch, said the BTA Parliament fast tracks Bill No. 15 and she “believes it is also being supported by the chief minister.”
“What we’ve talked about is a law and not just an Executive Order,” Latiph stressed. Turn out of votes of members of the federation on whether they would want to push or cancel the request of an Executive Order (EO) favored to “cancel the request of EO”.
Accordingly, the bill gives life to Article VI, Section 12 of the Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL), which urges the Bangsamoro government to enhance the economic, social, and cultural development of Bangsamoro people living outside the main BARMM dominion in Mindanao.
It was also learned that the BCOBAR Federation maintains an online database of profiles of communities and the policies and issues that pertain to them. The knowledge product created can guide policy makers and project proponents in designing initiatives for the welfare of BCOBAR. (GALao, BTA Parliament)