Bangsamoro transition parliament OKs P75.6-B budget for BARMM in 2021

COTABATO CITY –– The Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA) Parliament unanimously approved on Wednesday the P75.6-billion budget for the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) next year.

BTA Majority Floor Leader Raissa Jajurie said the Ministry of Basic, Higher and Technical Education got the biggest share of the region’s budget at P23.5 billion followed by the Ministry of Public Works (MPW), P15.7B; and the Office of the Chief Minister, P10.2B.

Bangsamoro Chief Minister Ahod Balawag Ebrahim, who signed the legislation Wednesday night, earlier said next year’s budget includes the region’s COVID-19 response.

“What makes this financial program distinct from last year is the inclusion of efforts towards the public health crisis and other significant initiatives that were not part of last year’s fiscal design,” Ebrahim said when he presented the budget on Nov. 26.

The Ministry of Health, however, got only P5.5 billion, or the fourth largest share of the total budget followed by the Ministry of Social Services and Development, P3.3 billion.

Known as the “General Appropriations Act of the Bangsamoro for Fiscal Year 2021” or the Bangsamoro Autonomy Act No. 15, the budget was unanimously approved by 55 BTA Parliament Members present, Jajurie said.

“The Bangsamoro Organic Law remains to be at the heart of this fiscal design,” Ebrahim said. “We propose mechanisms that can effectively address the diverse needs of the Bangsamoro, regardless of their geographic area and ethnolinguistic identity. This design, just like last year, continues to echo the call for inclusivity, where initiatives and programs are tailored-fit to the respective realities on the ground,” he added.

Jajurie said the P75.6-billion budget was appropriated from the annual block grant from the national government, the share in the national government’s taxes, fees, and charges collected in the Bangsamoro territorial jurisdiction, and the projected collections of regional taxes, fees, and charges.

The rest of the offices and their corresponding budget included the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Agrarian Reforms, P1.5 billion; Ministry of Interior Local Government, P1.05 billion; Ministry of Human Settlements and Development, P811.01 million; Ministry of Transportation and Communications, P623.2 million; Ministry of Environment, Natural Resources, and Energy, P553.7 million; Ministry of Finance, Budget and Management, P389.6 million; Ministry of Trade, Investments and Tourism, P323.5 million; Ministry of Labor and Employment, P274.1 million; Ministry of Science and Technology, P197.2 million; Ministry of Public Order and Safety, P108.8 million; Ministry of Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs, P105.2 million; Bangsamoro Human Rights Commission, P97.4 million; Bangsamoro Planning and Development Authority, P85.08 million; Bangsamoro Youth Commission, P76.7 million; Bangsamoro Women Commission, P71.6 million; the Bangsamoro Attorney General’s Office, P41.08 million, and the Office of the Wali, P33.02 million.

LZB