Bangsamoro Transition Commission holds 2nd session in April in Cotabato City

From the MILF Website (Apr 30): Bangsamoro Transition Commission holds 2nd session in April in Cotabato City

Despite the non-release of operational budget from the government and the non-signing of the three remaining annexes (power-sharing, wealth-sharing, and normalization), the Bangsamoro Transition Commission (BTC) held its second session in the month of April.

The maiden session of the BTC was held in Pasig last April 3, after it was inaugurated in the morning of the same day where high government officials attended including Secretary Teresita “Ging” Deles, Senator Teofisto Guingona III, Cong. Jesus Sacdalan, Secretary Leila de Lima, Cong. Rodolfo Biazon, Sulu Governor Sakur Tan, Basilan Governor Jum Akbar, Cong. Sandra Sema. For the first time also, the BTC as a whole faced the media where more than one half of the questions asked were about the Sabah standoff.

The current session is being held at the Al-Nor Convention Center in Cotabato City.
All the 15 commissioners attended the session, which will continue today and which will culminate with a media briefing this afternoon.

The first of the two-day session opened formally with BTC Chair Mohagher Iqbal banging the gavel for the first time to signal the formal opening of the session. However, the whole day was mainly to attend to the lectures of two prominent international experts on Basic Law making namely the husband-and-wide tandem: Prof. Yash Ghai and Dr. Jill Cotrell. He also thanked former Human Rights Commissioner Nasser Marohomsalic for responding positively to the invitation.

The session was facilitated by former Dean Benedicto Bacani of the Notre Dame University and an old associate of the two resource speakers.

The two foreign experts were formally invited by the BTC through the HDC.
The European Union through the Center for Humanitarian (HDC) is providing the logistical support including transportation and billeting the commissioners.

Mr. Ali Salem and Mike Alar of the HDC coordinated the whole affair.

The session of the BTC will continue today with its organizational chart and internal rules would be discussed through caucuses first and then to the plenary session for adoption.

Asked by Luwaran on the chances of the approval of the two papers, Iqbal merely said: “We will travel the extra mile to try to finish these. They are very important to jumpstart our mission.”

At the closing of the first day session, before banging the gavel for second time signaling the end of the first day session, thanked the Prof. Ghai, Dr. Cotrell, Dean Bacani, former Commissioner Nasser Marohomsalic and BTC commissioners who travelled all the way from faraway places especially Commissioners Tammang, Fatmawatti Salapuddin, and Pedrieto Eisma.

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