COTABATO CITY (PIA) — The Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) for Bangsamoro Autonomy Act (BAA) No. 62, the Rights of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region Act of 2024, was signed in Cotabato City on Wednesday.
Bangsamoro Government Minister of Social Services and Development Raissa Jajurie led the ceremonial signing of the IRR at the Bangsamoro Government Center (BGC).
The IRR signing is expected to allow full implementation of the law, establishing a legal foundation for the protection of IDPs within and outside the Bangsamoro region.
Bangsamoro Government Chief Minister Ahod Balawag Ebrahim said the law will ensure every displaced family can rebuild their future.
“Displacement has been a painful reality in our homeland. But today, we declare that the Bangsamoro will no longer be a region where displacement defines our people’s lives,” Ebrahim said.
The law protects the rights of IDPs during all phases of displacement, including protection from displacement, dignified support during displacement and durable solutions to end displacement.
Jajurie said the law provides solutions for those affected by displacement within and outside the region.
“I believe that this effort of the Bangsamoro Government provides the structure upon which duty bearers with strong legal basis and the needed push to take a longer and higher leap towards finding solutions to one of the most concerning problems in the Bangsamoro,” Jajurie said.
The law protects Bangsamoro residents displaced within and outside the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM). It also covers non-Bangsamoro residents displaced within BARMM, while respecting the jurisdictions of the national government and local government units (LGUs) outside the region, as stated in Section 13 of BAA No. 62.
The law, which took effect on Dec. 4, 2024, is the first of its kind in Southeast Asia.
BAA No. 62 aligns with national, regional and international legal frameworks, including the Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement. (LTOB, PIA Region 12)
