COTABATO CITY — Local executives in the Bangsamoro provinces urged their 80-seat parliament on Wednesday to immediately pass the bill creating the Bangsamoro Electrification Administration (BEA) to more efficiently address the region’s power woes.
Parliament Bill No. 263, authored and filed last Monday by regional lawmaker Jaafar Apollo Mikhail L. Matalam, calls for the establishment of the BEA to oversee the operation of state-owned and private power utilities in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).
His concept of a functional BEA is one that shall operate under the direct supervision of BARMM’s chief minister.
Governors Hadjiman H. Salliman of Basilan and Mamintal Adiong, Jr. of Lanao del Sur both rooted for the passage of the bill, acknowledging how power supply shortages in BARMM need to be solved to improve the investment climate.
Mohammad O. Pasigan, chairman of the Bangsamoro Regional Board of Investments, said he is optimistic that the National Electrification Administration (NEA) 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 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,” Mr. Pasigan said. — John Felix M. Unson
