Bangsamoro Parliament Speaker Mohammad Yacob and parliamentarian Mohammad Kellie Antao have expressed gratitude to members of the Bilateral Philippine Congress-Bangsamoro Parliament Legislative Forum (PCBPLF) for including the creation of a Moro Province in its legislative agenda.
Under House Bill 11177 and Senate Bill 2876, a Moro Province will be created out of the eight towns of the 63-barangay Special Geographic Area (SGA) of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).
“On behalf of the 214,000 SGA residents, we are deeply indebted to and thank Cotabato Governor Emmylou “Lala Jacolo Taliño-Mendoza, as well as the members of the PCBPLF,” Antao said.
The PCBPLF is a bilateral legislative body created by Republic Act 11054, the Bangsamoro Organic Law as a venue of legislative consensus building on BARMM.
Lala has advocated for the revival of Moro Province from the very start of BARMM’s existence, Antao pointed out.
The agenda inclusion of the Moro Province creation has been pushed by Antao, backed by Senator Loren Legarda, Lanao del Sur Rep. Zia Alonto Adiong, and Bangsamoro Parliament Deputy Speaker Sha Elija Biruar Dumama Alba.
The joint secretariat of the bilateral body is headed by Presidential Assistant Wilhelm Mayor and Bangsamoro Parliament Secretary-General Dr. Roby Angkal, as co-heads of the joint PCBPLF.
The meeting was attended by Bangsamoro Parliament Speaker Yacob and House Speaker Faustino Dy III, who both expressed support during the March 24 meeting, held at the Conrad Manila Hotel in Pasay City.
Yacob and Antao also thanked House Deputy Speaker Democrito Mendoza, who filed House Bill 11177, creating the Moro Province, Maguindanao del Norte Congresswoman Dimple Mastura, and Maguindanao del Sur Congressman Esmael Mangudadatu.
The Senate counterpart Bill, SB 2876, is being sponsored by Senator Robin Padilla.
The name “Moro Province” will revive the historic Moro Province created in 1909 by the Philippine Commission which was under the tutelage of the U.S. Congress.
Both Houses of Congress have proposed the old province’s revival in the modern-day setup. Its proposed charter has been filed by Mendoza as House Bill 11177, and by Senator Robin Padilla as Senate Bill 2876.
The new Moro Province will be made up of the eight municipalities created last year by the Parliament of the Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA).
These are Pahamuddin, Kadayangan, Nabalawag, Old Kaabakan, Kapalawan, Malidegao, Tugunan, and Ligawasan which are made up of the 63 villages that opted to join the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) in a plebiscite held in February 2020.
Editor’s Note: This is an updated article. Originally posted with the headline: “Lawmakers push revival of historic Moro Province within BARMM”
