Bangsamoro Autonomy Act No. 37

BILL NQ.43

Republic of the Philippines

BANGSAMORO TRANSITION AUTHORITY PARLIAMENT Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao

Bangsamoro Government Center, Cotabato City

BANGSAMORO TRANSITION AUTHORITY

(SECOND REGULAR SESSION)

BANGSAMORO AUTONOMY ACT NO. 37

Begun and held in Cotabato City, on Thursday, the 15th day of September 2022.

ESTABLISHING THE SEAT OF GOVERNMENT OF THE BANGSAMORO AUTONOMOUS REGION IN MUSLIM MINDANAO IN THE AN ACT

NORTE, APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREFOR, AMENDING BOOK 1, MUNICIPALITY OF PARANG,PROVINCE OF MAGUINDANAO DEL CHAPTER 2, SECTION 9 OF THE BANGSAMORO AUTONOMY ACT NO. 13, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES

Be it enacted by the Bangsamoro Transition Authority in Parliament assembled:

SECTION 1. Short Title. -- This Act shall be known as the "Seat of Government Act of 2023.

SEC. 2. Declaration of Policy. -- In the exercise of its right to self-governance, the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region is free to pursue its political, economic, social and cultural development. It has the power to create offices and organize its own bureaucracy to ensure efficient and effective delivery of government programs and services.

SEC. 3. Establishing the Seat of Government of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao. -- The seat of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) shall be established in the Municipality of Parang in the Province of Maguindanao del Norte where the Bangsamoro government center shall be built.

The Bangsamoro government center shall be the new location of the following offices:

2) Office of the Wali;

b Office of the Chief Minister;

C The Bangsamoro Parliament;

MinistriesOffices, Agencies; and

e Other facilities.

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SEC. 4. Exclusion of the Bangsamoro Government Center from the Control of the Local Government Unit. -- The Bangsamoro government center within the Municipality of Parang shall not be subject to local policies, measures, and issuances that would run counter to the primacy of uninterrupted government service. To ensure a smooth transition, consultations and dialogues with the local government unit concerned and other stakeholders shall be conducted.

SEC.5.Committee on the Establishment of the Seat of Government of the BARMM (CESG) -- There is hereby established a Committee on the Establishment of the Seat of Government of the BARMM, chaired by the Senior Minister and composed of the following members, namely: the Minister of Finance, and Budget and Management; the Minister of Public Works; the Minister of Environment, Natural Resources and Energy; the Minister of Transportation and Communications; the

Director-General of the Bangsamoro Planning and Development Authority. Civil Society Chairperson of the Bangsamoro Commission for the Preservation of Cultural Heritage; and the

Organizations' representatives shall be invited as observers in the proceedings of the CESG.

subject to the approval of the Bangsamoro Parliament. The Committee shall identify the specific site and area for the Bangsamoro government center,

The Committee shall immediately convene within thirty (30) days upon the effectivity of this Act. It shall cease to exist upon completion and full implementation of the objectives of this Act, which shall not exceed ten (10) years unless further extended by the Parliament.

SEC. 6. Transfer. -- The actual physical transfer of the seat of government from Cotabato City to the Municipality of Parang shall proceed in a gradual manner upon the completion of required infrastructure, such as office buildings, roads, light and power, water, communication, and other necessary facilities.

The Committee shall lead and organize the preparation and development of the master plan. strategies, processes, and timetable for the development of the seat of government of the BARMM in the Municipality of Parang including the identification of the site for the Bangsamoro Parliament. It shall exercise such powers and functions as are essential and incidental therefor. In the performance of its powers and functions, the Committee shall conduct consultations with concerned local government units and other stakeholders.

SEC. 7. Preservation and Improvement of Existing Structures in the Current Bangsamoro Government Center. - The infrastructure, buildings and other facilities in the existing government center in Cotabato City shall be improved in order to sustain their usefulness for government operations and preserve their historical value.

The present Bangsamoro government center shall be renamed after the final physical transfer of the seat of government of the BARMM is completed. The Committee shall consult stakeholders in selecting a new name, which must reflect the purpose declared in this section.

SEC. 8. Appropriations. --For its first year, the amount of Fifty Million Pesos (P 50,000,000.00) shall be initially appropriated for the use of the CESG to implement the provisions of this Act including the crafting of the necessary master plan. For the succeeding fiscal years until its cessation, the CESG through the Office of the Chief Minister shall include the amounts necessary for its operation in the implementation of this Act in the General Appropriations Act of the Bangsamoro.

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Other funding sources such as foreign grants, aids and donations, may also be made available for the implementation of this Act subject to existing guidelines of the Inter-Governmental Fiscal Policy Board.

SEC. 9. Implementing Rules and Regulations. -- Within ninety (90) days from the effectivity of the Act, the Committee,in consultation with appropriate government agencies,shall promulgate the necessary rules and regulations to ensure the effective implementation of this Act.

SEC. 10. Separability Clause. -- If any provision of this Act is declared invalid or unconstitutional, the remaining parts or provisions not affected thereby shall remain valid.

SEC. 11. Repealing Clause. -- All laws, decrees, executive orders, administrative orders, proclamations, rules and regulations, and issuances, or parts thereof which are inconsistent with the provisions of this Act, are hereby repealed, amended or modified accordingly.

SEC. 12. Effectivity. -- This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its publication in the Official Gazette or in two (2) newspapers of general circulation.

D TTY. PAXGALIAN M. BALINDONG

Speaker

This Act was passed by the Bangsamoro Parliament on Dhul Hijjah 01, 1444/June 19, 2023.

PROF M ANGKAL Venekal

APPROVED:

AHOD BALAWAGEBRAHIM Date: Jue 24, 223 Chief Minister

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