Proposed creation of outfit to solve BARMM power woes welcomed

COTABATO CITY —  Local executives in the Bangsamoro provinces on Wednesday urged their 80-seat parliament to immediately pass a proposed measure aiming to solve the power woes besetting the autonomous region.

Parliament Bill No. 263, authored by regional lawmaker Jaafar Apollo Mikhail Matalam and filed at the parliament Monday, is seeking creation of the Bangsamoro Electrification Administration (BEA) to oversee the operation of state-owned and private power utilities in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.

The BARMM has six provinces and two cities, all beset with shortage of power supply, something that local business blocs want immediately addressed to boost the region’s investment climate.

“We are thankful to Member of Parliament Matalam for having filed that bill. We wish for its immediate enactment into a regional law,” Basilan Gov. Hadjiman Salliman told reporters via Viber message.

Salliman had earlier repeatedly urged the national government to focus on the power problems in Basilan, covering two cities and 11 municipalities.

Lanao del Sur Gov. Mamintal Adiong Jr. told reporters Wednesday that his administration is also in favor of the Parliament Bill No. 263

Matalam said the bill he had proposed aims to replicate, through the envisioned BEA, the efficient electrification of rural areas outside of BARMM.

“That has been a long time desire for us,”  Matalam said.

Matalam said his concept of a functional BEA is one that shall operate under the direct supervision of BARMM’s chief minister.

Mohammad Pasigan, chairman of the Bangsamoro Regional Board of Investments, said he is optimistic that the National Electrification Administration and the BARMM government can together establish a functional BEA that shall help manage the operations of power utilities in all six provinces and three cities in the autonomous region.

“The sooner we can have that the better. Once all of these power problems are fixed, we can invite more foreign investors to put up capital intensive business ventures in BARMM,” Pasigan said.