At the 16th Intergovernmental Relations Body (IGRB) meeting on November 23, 2023, members of the Bangsamoro government and the Philippine government met to discuss and present updates on the peace and development initiatives that the two governments are implementing for the Bangsamoro region. ((Photo courtesy of OPAPRU)
COTABATO CITY (PIA) — The Third Party Monitoring Team (TPMT) has underscored the vital role of the National Government-Bangsamoro Government Intergovernmental Relations Body (IGRB) in sustaining the gains of the peace process in the Bangsamoro region.
During the recent TPMT’s 8th public report held in Davao City, Heino Marius, chairperson of the TPMT, said that the IGRB continues to uphold its role to undertake “crucial coordination” between the two governments in Manila and Cotabato, highlighting that the IGRB is a success story of the peace process.
In order to maintain improved peace and development in the Bangsamoro region, one of the main functions of the IGRB is to mediate conflicts or issues that arise between the Government of the Philippines (GPH) and the Bangsamoro, which need to be discussed and settled amicably.
The IGRB, created in 2019 under Section 2, Article VI of the Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL), is tasked with coordinating and resolving intergovernmental relations issues between the national government and the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) by having regular consultation and negotiation.
Members of the Third Party Monitoring Team (TPMT), chaired by Heino Marius (middle), presented some recent developments on the GPH-MILF peace agreements during the team’s 8th public report release held in Davao City. Marius said that the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB) remains the cornerstone for peace in the region, as he also commended the Intergovernmental Relations Body (IGRB) of the Philippine Government-Bangsamoro Government for its crucial role in resolving conflicts and pushing for peace and development in the Bangsamoro region. (Photo courtesy of the Bangsamoro Information Office)
TPMT, on the other hand, is a team set up by the Government of the Philippines and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) to monitor the implementation of the GPH-MILF peace agreements, particularly the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro and the Framework Agreement on the Bangsamoro and their annexes.
The members of the IGRB from the national government include the Special Assistant to the President Secretary Antonio Ernesto Lagdameo Jr., Finance Secretary Benjamin Diokno, Interior Secretary Benjamin Abalos Jr., Defense Senior Undersecretary Jose Faustino Jr., Public Works Secretary Manuel Bonoan, Energy Secretary Raphael P.M. Lotilla, Agriculture Senior Undersecretary Domingo Panganiban,Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista, Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Arsenio Balisacan, and Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation, and Unity (OPAPRU) Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr.
The IGRB representatives on the part of the BARMM government are Speaker of the Bangsamoro Transition Authority Parliament, Member of Parliament (MP) Ali Pangalian Balindong, Senior Minister Abdulraof Macacua, Cabinet Secretary Mohd Asnin Pendatun, Finance, Budget, and Management Minister Ubaida Pacasem, Interior and Local Government Minister Naguib Sinarimbo, Social Services and Development Minister Raissa Jajurie, Public Works Minister Eduard Guerra, Agriculture, Fisheries, and Agrarian Reform Minister Mohammad Yacob, Environment, Natural Resources, and Energy Minister Akmad Brahim, and Transportation and Communications Minister Paisalin Tago.
Marius emphasized the importance of the activation of the seven mechanisms under IGRB to serve as the basis for all laws and policies enacted by the Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA) parliament.
“It is important that all intergovernmental relations mechanisms are now in place, including the council of leaders, which is essential for coordination between the Bangsamoro government and local government units,” Marius said.
IGRB mechanisms include the Philippine Congress-Bangsamoro Parliament Forum (PCBFF), Intergovernmental Fiscal Policy Board (IFPB), Joint Body for the Zones of Joint Cooperation (JBZJC), Intergovernmental Infrastructure Development Board (IFPB), Intergovernmental Energy Board (IEB), Bangsamoro Sustainable Development Board (BSDB), and the Council of Leaders (COL).
Accompanying these mechanisms are a set of rules and regulations that outline how the executive department of the national government will execute them.
Presidential Peace Adviser Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr., an IGRB member, underscored the role of IGRB mechanisms in empowering the Bangsamoro people and increasing economic opportunities in the region during the 16th IGRB meeting in Davao City. (Photo courtesy of OPAPRU)
Meanwhile, in a recent report from OPAPRU, Secretary Galvez Jr. lauded the many accomplishments of IGRB this year, including its support in helping the Bangsamoro people unleash the full socioeconomic potential of the region.
“The BARMM has become a show window of peace and development not only in Mindanao but throughout the country. The IGRB mechanisms will, therefore, be essential in sustaining the region’s march towards greater economic empowerment and progress,” Galvez said. (LTB – PIA Cotabato City)
