The Bangsamoro Parliament In Focus

Media in BARMM enlightened on BTA performances in a forum

COTABATO CITY Station managers, journalists, field reporters, broadcasters, and other representatives from various media entities in the Bangsamoro region gathered at themediaforum on Tuesday, March28.

Since the media has become an integral part of delivering accurate and timely information to the public, the forum provides a means for the media to learn about the efforts and accomplishments of the BangsamoroTransition Authority.

Funded under the Support to Local Moral Governance Fund of 2021, the municipal hall aims to improve the services of local government units and ensure that moral governance is felt even in the farthest town of the Bangsamoro autonomous region.

MILG Minister Atty. Naguib Sinarimbo said dis- tance is not a hindrance in constructing a town hall in such aremotearea.

“Despite its distance, we are also constructing a municipal hall for this farthest municipality to ensure that governance is also felt there,” Sinarimbosaid.

“Wethank thelocal government unit of Turtle Islands led by Mayor Haji Faisal Jamalul for this part- nership,” headded.

According to MILG, the town hall will not only serve as a help desk for the government’s bureaucracy and implement policies for the betterment of its constituents, but it will alsoprovidesymbolic functions in the community. It would serve as avenue for holding local government business, implementing

Turtle Islands is a fifthclass municipality with over 4,000 populations and is considered a protected and natural breeding ground for green sea turtles (pawikan). Presidential Proclamation No .171 s. 1999 established it as a protected area pursuant to RA No. 7586 also known as the National Integrated Protected Area System (NIPAS) Act of 1992 and RA No. 9147 or the Wildlife Resources Conservation and Protection Act, both of which prohibit thecollection of turtle eggs.

Consisting of six (6) small islands namely Taganak, Baguan, Langaan, Boan, Lihiman, and the Great Bakungan, the Turtle Islands is closer to Malaysia than to Tawi-Tawi’s capital town of Bongao (with reports from MILG)