ARMM wants ‘Magna Carta for Women’ enacted

COTABATO CITY: A local version of the Republic Act (RA) 9710, or the Magna Carta for Women, will soon become a Muslim Mindanao Act once the regional governor has signed it into law, according to a high official of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) on Friday.

Ali Macabalang, executive director of the Bureau of Public Information and concurrently ARMM spokesman, told The Manila Times that the Sixth Regional Legislative Assembly (RLA) has enacted the RLA Bill 55, an act providing for the Gender and Development (GAD) Code of the ARMM and other purposes.

RLA members led by speaker Ronnie Sinsuat passed the bill Monday shortly before acting Regional Gov. Ansaruddin Alonto-Adiong of ARMM delivered his first State of the Region address, which urged the enactment of some legislation including the GAD code.

Dr. Sharifa Pearlsia Dans, GAD code technical working group (TWG) chairman, said that the enactment of the bill is a regional landmark legislation that will bring an impact on the lives of women and men, girls and boys in the area of autonomy.

“We thank the chairman, as well as the co-chairman of the Committee on Women, Youth and Family Relations Hon. Rajam Akbar of the Lone District of Basilan and Hon. Sulayla Salic of the First District of Lanao del Sur, respectively, for their support to the passage of the code,” Dans emphasized.

The code intends to uphold women’s rights and protect them from all forms of violence and discrimination, according to Macabalang.

This will now serve as the regional translation of the RA 9710, which was also approved and signed into law early this year, Macabalang added.

The GAD Code TWG has gone through series of public consultations including Muslim religious leaders across the region during the final stages of its crafting, he said.

The GAD Code is authored by assemblyman Abdulrajak Tomawis of the First District of Maguindanao and co-authored by assemblymen Ziahur Rahman Adiong of the First sDistrict of Lanao del Sur; Cahar Ibay of the First District of Maguindanao; and Sinsuat, among others.

Rajam Akbar, who is the younger sister of the slain Rep. Wahab Akbar of Basilan said that the bill will now be submitted to the Office of the Regional Governor where the acting regional governor will sign the enacted bill into a regional law or finally implement the same as a Muslim Mindanao Act. –Julmunir I. Jannaral, Manila Times