2 BARMM solons want greater focus on agri, fisheries, agrarian reform

File photos of MPs Amir Mwallil and Suharto Ambolodto (Images from their FB pages)

COTABATO CITY — Two members of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) parliament (MPs) want the regional government to focus on agrarian reform, fisheries, and agriculture in its development thrust.

This is why MPs Amir Mawallil and Suharto Ambolodto had filed three bills seeking to create dedicated ministries for each concern.

The regional government’s work in the three areas is done via a single Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Agrarian Reform (Mafar). The proposals of Mawallil and Ambolodto would require this to be reorganized.

“Agriculture should be a priority agenda … as it is one of the main sources of livelihood in the region,” Mawallil said.

By reorganizing the Mafar, there would be a clear “focus on the distinct needs of the agricultural sector in the Bangsamoro region,” Mawallil said.

The proposed Ministry of Agriculture would be the main agency to promote agricultural development by providing the policy framework, public investments, and support services needed for agri-based domestic and export-oriented business enterprises to thrive, Mawallil explained.

Ambolodto emphasized the need to create a separate Ministry of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources to “focus on the development of the fisheries infrastructure in the BARMM, such as processing, cold storage, and (cultivating) new markets…”

Both legislators also stressed the need for a separate Ministry of Agrarian Reform to hasten the implementation of the country’s agrarian reform law in the region and pursue land reform-support initiatives.

Supporting the three proposals are MPs Laisa Alamia, Rasol Mitmug Jr., Don Mustapha Loong, Baintan Ampatuan, and Rasul Ismael.

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