COTABATO CITY (MindaNews / 29 February) — The bill creating 32 single-member parliamentary districts in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) was passed Wednesday night by a vote of 47 in favor, one against and three abstentions.
Parliamentary Bill 267, introduced on December 18, 2023 by the Government of the Day and signed into law – Bangsamoro Autonomy Act 58 — by BARMM Chief Minister Ahod Balawag Ebrahim and Bangsamoro Parliament Speaker Atty. Pangalian Balindong on Wednesday night, February 28, following its approval on third and final reading.
Voters in the BARMM will troop to the polls on May 12, 2025 to elect the first set of officials in the 80-member Bangsamoro Parliament consisting of 40 party representatives, 32 single-district representatives and eight sectoral representatives.
The elected will take their oath at noon on June 30, 2022, the same day the six-year transition period ends.
The 32 parliamentary districts are as follows: eight in Lanao del Sur, seven in Sulu, four each in Maguindanoa del Norte and Maguindanoa del Sur, three each in Basilan and Tawi-Tawi, two in Cotabato City, and one in the Special Geographic Area comprising 63 villages in six North Cotabato towns that voted for inclusion in the BARMM in the 2019 plectiscite.
Jaafar “Jambo” Apollo Mikhail Matalam, the lone Member of Parliament who opposed the approval explained his vote.
“I would like to commend the proponent, to congratulate them for this bill to be passed, Although, with a heavy heart Mr. Speaker, for me at the 3rd district of Maguindanao Del Sur, we feel that the configuration is very impractical, and for that I vote No Mr. Speaker,” he said.
MP Hatimil Hassan, MP Khalid Hadji Abdullah and MP Baintan Ampatuan abstained.
BARMM officials believed that the newly enacted law will serve as the foundational framework for the delineation of the parliamentary districts, aimed at ensuring fair representation for the diverse needs and concerns of the Bangsamoro people.
Chief Minister Ebrahim reiterated the importance of fair representation, acknowledging the distinct requirements of the Bangsamoro people.
Speaker Balindong said”this is a bold step toward addressing constituents’ concerns with precision and fairness.”
Floor Leader and Committee on Rules Chair
Atty. Sha Elijah Dumama-Alba, Floor leader and Committee on Rules chair, and concurrent Minister of the Interior and Local Government (MILG) emphasized the importance of the parliamentary districting bill in establishing a parliamentary form of government.
Dumama-Alba expressed confidence in the region’s readiness for the first parliamentary elections in 2025, following the delineation of these parliamentary districts.
The Bangsamoro region, which comprises six provinces, three cities, 116 municipalities, and 2,590 barangays, is home to over four million residents.
Dumama-Alba also explained the difference between legislative congressional districts and parliamentary districts, stating that congressional district representatives serve in the national government’s 250-member House of Representatives, while parliamentary districts will function within the 80-member Bangsamoro Parliament following the 2025 regular parliament elections. (Ferdinandh B. Cabrera / MindaNews)