Senate Adopts Zubiri Resolution Creating Philippine Congress-Bangsamoro Parliament Forum

On Tuesday, the Senate adopted Senate President Juan Miguel "Migz" Zubiri's Concurrent Resolution No. 5, establishing the Philippine Congress-Bangsamoro Parliament Forum (PCBPF). The forum is an intergovernmental body that will allow the Senate, the House of Representatives, and the Bangsamoro Parliament to coordinate on legislative concerns and priorities for the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).

The creation of the PCBPF is mandated under Article VI, Section 3 of the Bangsamoro Organic Law, "for purposes of cooperation and coordination of legislative initiatives." It consists of representatives from the Bangsamoro Parliament, and five members each from the Senate and the House of Representatives.

"As the author and sponsor of the Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL), and as a Mindanaoan myself, I am very proud of the achievements of the interim Bangsamoro Government, which has made great progress toward lasting peace for the Bangsamoro Region," Zubiri said. "But there remains a lot of work to be done for the BARMM, which is still in its transition stage."

"Most urgently, there is a need to pass the priority legislation, particularly the remaining codes, of the Bangsamoro Transition Authority--such as the Electoral Code and the Local Governance Code, to name a few. It is absolutely vital that these are passed soon, as we cannot afford to extend the BTA anymore," he insisted.

"The establishment of the PCBPF will allow us to strengthen our coordination with the Bangsamoro Parliament, in aim of discussing and taking swift action on pertinent legislative concerns for the region."

The forum had an initial meeting on 15 November 2022, organized by the Intergovernmental Relations Body under the leadership of Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman and BARMM Minister Mohagher Iqbal. Also at the meeting were Presidential Peace Adviser Sec. Carlito Galvez and BARMM Chief Minister Ahod "Murad" Ebrahim.

The meeting allowed the Senate, the House of Representatives, and the Bangsamoro Parliament to identify the most urgent legislative matters that need to be addressed for the Bangsamoro Region.

Having had a chance to lay down the foundations of the forum during the meeting, Zubiri has now pushed to institutionalize the forum, as mandated under the BOL.

"The BOL is not a quick-fix solution to the decades of conflict that we are seeking to undo in the Bangsamoro Region. While it gives us a necessary framework, we still have to continuously do the work of upholding peace and making way for progress. It is in this sense that we urgently need to establish the PCBPF, which we will need if we hope to fully and properly implement the BOL."

The resolution was unanimously adopted right after the sponsorship and the period of interpellation.