THE Bangsamoro Parliament has passed a resolution that seeks the creation of an ad-hoc body primarily to identify zones of cooperation and ensure equitable sharing of resources in Sulu Sea and Moro Gulf between the Bangsamoro region and the National Government.
The resolution, approved Wednesday, July 31, is anchored on Section 18, Article XIII of Republic Act No. 11054, or the Organic Law for the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARRM), which states that "Zones of Joint Cooperation in the Sulu Sea and the Moro Gulf are hereby created, the coordinates of which shall be defined by an ad hoc Joint Body composed of representatives from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources and the National Mapping and Resource Information Authority, and a corresponding number of representatives from appropriate agencies of the Bangsamoro Government.”
The resolution was drafted by the following members of the Bangsamoro Parliament: Amir Mawallil, Jose Lorena, Nabil Tan, Laisa Masuhud-Alamia, Don Mustapha Loong, Alzad Sattar, Adzfar Usman, Abdulmuhmin Mujahid, and Abraham Burahan.
The Bangsamoro Parliament noted the ad hoc body will also "ensure cooperation and coordination between the National Government and the Bangsamoro Government on the exploration, development and utilization of non-living resources in the subject Zone, and the protection of the indigenous communities’ traditional fishing grounds.”
Through the ad hoc body, Mawallil said the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) and the national government would effectively regulate and formulate policies that apply for both the Sulu Sea and the Moro Gulf.
Mawallil said the proposed body is supposed to start work within 30 days after the ratification of the Organic Law and will cease to operate after it has established the coordinates of the Bangsamoro territorial jurisdiction within the Bangsamoro waters and the zones of joint cooperation.
The Bangsamoro Parliament is the interim governing body of the BARMM and also serves as the legislature of the region.
It operates within the framework of Republic Act No. 11054, or the organic law for the Bangsamoro, signed into law in July 2018. (SunStar Philippines)