Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri on Wednesday said the approved Philippine Congress-Bangsamoro Parliament Forum (PCBPF) will pave the way for the economic development of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).

On Tuesday, the Senate unanimously adopted Concurrent Resolution No 5 seeking to establish the PCBPF, an intergovernmental body that will help achieve and maintain genuine peace and progress for the Bangsamoro Region and properly implement the Bangsamoro Organic Law.

With the approval, BARMM which is still in its transition stage must pass its priority legislations like Electoral Code and the Local Governance Code.These codes will form the foundation of the Bangsamoro government, he said.

Once the forum is established, Congress will have better coordination with the Bangsamoro Parliament so they can easily discuss and tackle legislative concerns.
Under Senate Concurrent Resolution No. 5, Congress shall be represented by a five-member panel each from the Senate of the Philippines and the House of Representatives as designated by the Speaker of the House and the Senate President.

“As the author and sponsor of the Bangsamoro Organic Law, and as a Mindanaoan myself, I am very proud of the achievements of the interim Bangsamoro Government, which has made great progress towards lasting peace for the Bangsamoro Region,” Zubiri said.

He added that the Bangsamoro Region had proven that it could stand on its own and was fully capable of exercising autonomy even during difficult times like the pandemic and natural disasters. (PNA)