A committee of the House of Representatives has adopted a concurrent legislative resolution that calls for the convening of Congress and the Bangsamoro Parliament Forum.
The Committee on Local Government chaired by Valenzuela City Rep. Rex Gatchalian adopted House Concurrent Resolution (HCR) 3 which calls for the immediate formation and convening of the Congress and Bangsamoro Parliament Forum, as mandated by Republic Act 11054, also known as the “Bangsamoro Organic Law.”
In his opening statement, Lanao del Sur Rep. Yasser Alonto Balindong said the HCR 3 was filed to enable the Bangsamoro Parliament to cooperate and coordinate its legislative initiatives with the Congress through a forum.
The concurrent resolution was co-authored by Lanao del Sur Rep. Ziaur-Rahman Alonto Adiong.
The Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation and Unity (OPAPRU) Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr., manifested his support for the measure.
The panel also approved with amendments House Bill 4749, seeking to provide proper delegation of legislative powers by conferring jurisdiction and the means of removing erring Sangguniang Kabataan officials.
Authored by Gatchalian, the bill would amend Section 21 of Republic Act 10742 or the “Sangguniang Kabataan Reform Act of 2015.” Gatchalian said in his explanatory note that the said law did not grant any court, office, or tribunal jurisdiction over the removal of any Pederasyon officer.
It simply delegated authority to the Commission on Elections (Comelec), the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), and the National Youth Commission (NYC) to issue guidelines governing the removal of officers.
The panel made changes to the bill, such as ensuring that the SK’s actions, including its investigations are governed by by-laws, as well as incorporating the role of the youth development office in investigations. Lastly, the panel also approved various measures seeking to declare special non-working holidays in certain parts of the country.
