Through the validation workshop, BARMM CSOs and emerging political parties were able to meet and brainstorm together to provide different perspectives and insights on the major reforms they would like to see incorporated in the Bangsamoro Electoral Code, a piece of legislation still being drafted by the BTA.
Local officers and personnel from the member-LGUs of Hadji Muhtamad, Lantawan, Maluso and Sumisip, of the Western Basilan Alliance (WBA) and partner agencies, such as the provincial offices of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Agrarian Reform (MAFAR), Ministry of Interior and Local Government (MILG) and the Basilan Provincial Government convened last week to develop their Operations Manual.
Some 25 civil society organizations participated in the multi-stakeholder dialogue that gave them the chance to ask questions before BTA MPs and the regional director of the BEO pertaining to the status of the Bangsamoro Electoral Code and other important developments relating to future elections in the region.
IAG senior policy adviser Fr. Eliseo "Jun" Mercado Jr. says his vocation as an Oblate priest is a Christian presence in the midst of Muslims. There are many models of such Christian presence, not only through the traditional ministerial, sacramental and very “churchy” work, but rather a servant service, expressing their struggles and understanding the pluralism of faith.
Read more: FEATURE: An Oblate Priest with a Heart for the Muslims
With its formal institutionalization at the start of 2021, Western Basilan Alliance (WBA), a local government alliance of four municipalities on the western seaboard of Basilan province in southern Philippines, is pivoting to new opportunities.
Read more: With MOA signed, Western Basilan Alliance pivots to new opportunities