Category: News and Events

The Director of Policy Research and Legal Services (PRLS), Dr. Nassef Manabilang Adiong, delivered a speech setting a policy research agenda and proposals for the Ministry of Human Settlements and Development (MHSD) during the Policy Forum: Participatory Research Agenda on Housing, Land Use and Regulation for the Bangsamoro Region convened on October 3, 2022, in Blue Lotus Hotel, Davao City.

The Legislative Research Division (LRD) Chief, Mr. Vincent L. Casil, and PRLS legislative staff officers, Mr. Kebart P. Licayan, and Mr. Benyamin S. H. Salic, also presented the critical discussions, recommendations, and priority agenda that transpired during the break-out session.

The policy forum was conducted by the Policy Coordination and Development Division (PCDD) of MHSD in partnership with PRLS of the Bangsamoro Parliament in celebration of Urban October and National Shelter Month.

The forum aims to identify the key issues and concerns on Housing, Land Use, and Regulations as well as priority policy research in aid of formulating and developing policy guidelines toward a sustainable and better Bangsamoro region.

“The new Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) government is the opportunity for the Bangsamoro people to chart up their future in accordance with their distinct beliefs, culture, and aspirations, a shift from the struggle into fighting against oppression, corruption, discrimination, and other malpractices that are worsening the situation of the Bangsamoro people,” Policy Research and Legal Services (PRLS)

Director Nassef Manabilang Adiong phrased in an abstract submitted to the ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute (formerly Institute of Southeast Asian Studies). Director Adiong presented the paper titled “The Bangsamoro Struggle Today” at an international conference held in Singapore on July 18-19, 2022.

The conference was anchored on the theme, “Trendsetters of Islam in Maritime Southeast Asia: Emerging Discourses and Trending Ideologues.“

It provided a platform for researchers to map out emerging ideas from countries like the Philippines and know how these ideas are acquired and transmitted, as well as examine identified transmitters of new trends, which include vital personalities, groups, or institutions to watch.
Also present at the two-day event were division heads Atty. Hisham Nazz Ala Biruar, Mr. Vincent Casil, and technical staff Kebart Licayan, and Musthafa Mazhar Ali.

This coming September, the research team is set to attend another international conference on Cohesive Societies at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore, where they were invited as delegates.

PRLS Director Nassef Manabilang Adiong and LMLAD Chief Atty. Hisham Nazz Biruar were invited as resource speakers during the workshop, “Information Dissemination and Awareness on the Parliamentary Governance in support of the implementation of the Bangsamoro Women Commission Communication and Advocacy Strategy”. They initiated discussions on how women can engage in the BARMM’s parliamentary process on Monday morning, September 26.

Said workshop was facilitated by the Bangsamoro Women Commission (BWC) in partnership with the Mindanao Organization for Social and Economic Progress, Inc. (MOSEP) and The Moropreneur Inc. (TMI). It was also supported by The Asia Foundation (TAF).

The PRLS and BWC believe that women’s political participation in the BARMM region shall be strengthened. They underlined that through “awareness and understanding of the parliament proceedings as women, access to information, and building of effective communication between CSOs and the Parliament,” finer policy drafts and frameworks to serve the needs of the Bangsamoro people better will be established

Because of the implication of the Mandanas-Garcia ruling, the National Government agencies are devolving some of their functions to the Local Government Units (LGUs). The Department of Budget and Management (DBM), however, has put forward that the Bangsamoro Government is not required to comply with the devolution transition program.

PRLS Policy Commentary 004, entitled “The Inevitable Transition: Mandanas Ruling Challenge to BARMM Ministries,” describes how the budget of the Bangsamoro Government will be affected, despite DBM’s stand on BARMM’s situation.

The paper points out that the Bangsamoro Government inevitably faces the budgetary constraints of the Mandanas-Garcia ruling and that devolution of its functions to its LGUs should be done immediately to ensure the delivery of affected programs. To realize such task, BARMM Ministries are in the strategic position to specify which programs are feasible to be devolved to BARMM LGUs.

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PRLS Special Release 002 discusses Mandanas and Environmental policies With the enactment of the Mandanas-Garcia ruling, the Local Government Units are now presented with opportunities to realize more programs, as greater resources are allocated to them, with local units being given the authority to make expenditure decisions. 

PRLS Special Series 002, entitled “The Impact of Environmental Decentralization and its Critical Role in Mitigating Environmental Issues in the BARMM Region” explores the question of reasonable environmental decentralization in the Bangsamoro region.

Its author discusses the problems and limitations of devolved environmental function to the LGUs, and how the BARMM government and its LGUs can draw lessons from these conditions. This policy note is part of the PRLS Special Series on Mandanas, which explores different implications of decentralization and its aspects as realized in the BARMM context.

This paper is part of the PRLS Special Series on Mandanas, which explores different implications of decentralization and its aspects as realized in the BARMM context.

CLICK the download button to access the fact sheet.