BTA’s authority to create new towns in Bangsamoro questioned
COTABATO CITY, Maguindanao del Norte, Philippines — A member of the Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA) Parliament questioned the transition body’s attempt to create new towns in Maguindanao del Norte province and asked Speaker Martin Romuldez to call the attention of local lawmakers for attempting to do so.
BTA Member of the Parliament (MP) Ishak Mastura sent a letter to Romualdez on July 3, saying that the bills filed before the BTA proposing the creation of new towns “overstepped” the “legislative bounds” of the transition body.
He was referring to the bills filed by MPs Lanang Ali Jr. and Baileng Mantawil before the BTA.
Ali, a lawyer, filed on June 19 BTA Bill No. 190 and Bill No. 191, proposing the creation of the new towns of Datu Balabaran Sinsuat and Sheikh Abas Hamza from the town of Datu Odin Sinsuat.
On June 26, Mantawil filed Bill No. 223 proposing the creation of Nuling town carved out of Sultan Kudarat town, also in Maguindanao del Norte.
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“The creation of municipalities out of existing municipalities of the BARMM (Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao) is clearly not within the mandate of the BTA parliament during the transition period,” Mastura said in his letter to Romualdez, coursed through Maguindanao del Norte Rep. Sittie Shahara Mastura.
Mastura also urged Romualdez to call for a forum between Congress and the Bangsamoro Parliament to clarify things and address “instances of excess of legislative authority by the BARMM Parliament or an overlap or duplication of legislation by Congress or the BARMM Parliament.”
