18/05/2026
The Bangsamoro Human Rights Commission, Basilan Provincial Office (BHRC Basilan), through its Provincial Director Atty. Alman-Najar L. Namla, attended the public hearing of the Committee on Bangsamoro Justice System of the Bangsamoro Transition Authority Parliament held today at the Lamitan City Gymnasium, Rizal Avenue, Lamitan City, Province of Basilan.
The public hearing tackled three measures pending before the Committee: BTA Parliament Bill No. 66, principally authored by MP Amilbahar S. Mawallil, entitled "An Act to Promote and Protect the Rights of Human Rights Defenders in the Bangsamoro Region"; BTA Bill No. 159, principally authored by MP Mohammad Kelie U. Antao, Al-Haj, otherwise known as the "PASAD Act of 2023"; and Private Member Bill No. 363, principally authored by MP Atty. Laisa Masuhud Alamia, entitled the "Bangsamoro Shari'ah Judicial and Legal Academy Act of 2025."
BHRC Basilan extended its appreciation to MP Suharto M. Ambolodto, Chairperson of the Committee on Bangsamoro Justice System, for convening the consultation in the Province of Basilan and for the warm hospitality extended to resource persons and stakeholders. The Office likewise acknowledged the principal authors and co-authors of the three measures for advancing legislation that is responsive to the long-standing aspirations of the Bangsamoro people for a robust and culturally grounded justice system.
In its position rendered before the Committee, BHRC Basilan strongly endorsed the enactment of BTA Bill No. 66, the Bangsamoro Human Rights Defenders Protection Act, subject to refinements respectfully submitted in its Position Paper. The Office noted that the Bill responds to a long-standing need within the Bangsamoro Region and is consistent with the 1987 Philippine Constitution, the Bangsamoro Organic Law, and binding international human rights instruments to which the Philippines is a State party.
Among the principal recommendations of BHRC Basilan on BTA Bill No. 66 are: the clarification of the relationship between the proposed Human Rights Defenders Protection Committee and the existing mandate of the BHRC under Section 50 of Bangsamoro Autonomy Act (BAA) No. 4, with the institution of an express referral pathway from the Committee to the BHRC Commission Proper; the harmonization of the Bill with the Bangsamoro Local Governance Code (BAA No. 49) and its Implementing Rules and Regulations, particularly the existing Human Rights Committees, Human Rights Action Centers, and Human Rights Action Teams at the LGU level; and the insertion of a dedicated chapter on the participation of local government units in the protection of human rights defenders.
BHRC Basilan respectfully placed on record that this Office served as one of the resource institutions in the development of the Basilan Province Human Rights Defenders' Protection Ordinance, principally authored by Hon. Moumar L. Muarip, Board Member and Chairperson of the Human Rights Committee of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan ng Basilan, and passed into ordinance on 08 August 2023. The Province of Basilan stands today among the very first provinces in the entire country to have enacted a comprehensive provincial-level ordinance dedicated to the protection of human rights defenders, with operative provisions on sanctuaries, on Freedom Parks, on rectification of derogatory labeling, and on coordination with the Bangsamoro Human Rights Commission. Operative for nearly three years, the Basilan Ordinance was commended to the Committee as a working model of the kind of local protective framework that BTA Bill No. 66 should anticipate, support, and accommodate.
On BTA Bill No. 159, BHRC Basilan likewise expressed its support for the institutionalization of the People's Alternative System in Addressing Disputes (PASAD), recognizing its consistency with Section 20, Article X of Republic Act No. 11054, the Bangsamoro Organic Law, which expressly mandates the Bangsamoro Government to adopt the principles of conciliation and mediation in settling disputes. The Office welcomed the integration of Sulh as a recognized mechanism in Islamic law within the PASAD procedure, and the express contemplation of human rights groups and the Parliament Committee on Human Rights in the IRR-drafting and oversight mechanisms of the Bill.
On Private Member Bill No. 363, BHRC Basilan supported the creation of the Bangsamoro Shari'ah Judicial and Legal Academy as a needed institutional response to the gap in centralized, formal, and continuing judicial education for Shari'ah justices, judges, court personnel, and Shari'ah practitioners in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao. The Office recommended, among others, the inclusion of human rights education within the Academy's curriculum, adequate gender representation in the Academy's Board of Trustees consistent with CEDAW and Section 11, Article IX of Republic Act No. 11054, and the institutional protection of sustained funding through the annual General Appropriations Act of the Bangsamoro Government.
Taken together, the three measures reflect a coherent vision of the Bangsamoro justice system, one that is rights-protective at the front end, community-rooted in the middle, and institutionally professional at the back end. BHRC Basilan pledged its continuing technical assistance and support to the Bangsamoro Parliament in the further refinement and enactment of the three bills.
The full Position Paper of BHRC Basilan on BTA Parliament Bill No. 66, together with its observations on BTA Bill No. 159 and Private Member Bill No. 363, has been transmitted to the Committee on Bangsamoro Justice System for inclusion in the records of the public hearing.
The Bangsamoro Human Rights Commission, Basilan Provincial Office is the field office of the Bangsamoro Human Rights Commission in the Province of Basilan, constituted pursuant to Section 19 of Bangsamoro Autonomy Act No. 4, otherwise known as the Bangsamoro Human Rights Act of 2019, and the independent regional human rights institution of the Bangsamoro under Section 7, Article IX of Republic Act No. 11054.
