Gov't to shell out only P10.5B more for Bangsamoro region – Peace Council

By XIANNE ARCANGEL, GMA News

Published April 27, 2015 12:18pm

The envisioned Bangsamoro region will only receive an additional P10.5 billion from the national government once the proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) is passed, as the rest of the so-called “block grant” is already part of the existing annual appropriations to the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), the Peace Council tasked by Malacañang to review the measure said Monday.

Speaking on behalf of Peace Council member and business tycoon Jaime Augusto Zobel de Ayala, former Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Cielito Habito said the majority of the potential issues concerning economy and patrimony in the Bangsamoro bill “are not major” and may be resolved by clarification.

One of the issues which he said needs to be clarified before the public is the annual block grant to the Bangsamoro, after certain sectors have claimed to be a form of pork barrel amounting to around P70 billion.

After a thorough study of the Bangsamoro bill, Habito said the Peace Council concluded that the national government will only need to shell out an additional P10.5 billion for the Bangsamoro region.

“The cluster was of the opinion that the block grant was warranted to help the Bangsamoro region catch up with the rest of the country as it has been lagging behind as far as human development is concerned,” he said.

Under the Bangsamoro bill a yearly block grant equivalent to 4 percent of the net internal revenue of the Bureau of Internal Revenue, minus the internal revenue allotments of local government units (LGUs), will be automatically appropriated to the Bangsamoro region.

For 2016 the region’s block grant is estimated to be at least P27 billion, said Senator Ralph Recto.

Apart from justifying the block grant, Habito said the Peace Council does not see a problem with the creation of the Bangsamoro’s own Commission on Audit which will be under the national COA as spelled out in the measure.

After a review of Article XIII of the Bangsamoro bill pertaining to economy and patrimony, Habito said the Peace Council identified the potential issues in need of clarification include:

management and control of natural resources that include exploration, development and utilization of fossil fuels

labor and legal framework governing rights, wages and other social benefits

land registration, management, distribution and classification in which the Cluster saw an opportunity for possible streamlining if handled by one office in the Bangsamoro

legal regime governing the imposition of customs duties and tariffs within the region

extent of infrasturcture needs of the Bangsamoro and range of opportunities for investors

how Bangsamoro will regulate in coordination with the Central Government power generation connected to the national grid

additional powers for the Bangsamoro to regulate transportation and communication

instances when the Chief Minister of the Bangsamoro can take over direct operation of businesses

tax regime governing the Bangsamoro in the future

regulation, management, and protection of resources found in inland waters

Despite the number of potential issues found by the Peace Council in the proposed BBL, Habito said these can be resolved by providing more detailed information or explanation in the measure.

In pushing for the passage of the Bangsamoro bill, Habito said the Peace Council believes in the “tremendous opportunities that may be tapped in the region once its Bangsamoro economy is in place.

A market for Muslim customers, considering Muslim Filipinos are the largest in Southeast Asia, is among the opportunities which could be developed in the new region, he said.

"There are tremendous market opportunities which Muslim Mindanao is well positioned for," he said.

“The Bangsamoro government could be a model for regional autonomy in the ASEAN, especially to Thailand & Myanmar,” he added. – VS, GMA News

Tags: bangsamorobasiclaw, bangsamoropeacecouncil