READ | HIGHLIGHTS of the BTA Parliament Session on June 23, 2020
✅The Proposed Resolution No. 234. Entitled: URGENT RESOLUTION REQUIRING ALL TEACHERS IN PUBLIC AND PRIVATE ELEMENTARY AND HIGH SCHOOLS TO UNDERGO MANDATORY COVID-19 TESTING 45 DAYS BEFORE THE OPENING OF SCHOOL YEAR 2020–2021 was treated as a simple resolution and referred to as business of the day.
✅The Proposed Resolution No. 239, entitled: RESOLUTION EXPRESSING THE GRAVE CONCERN OF THE BANGSAMORO TRANSITION AUTHORITY OVER THE PASSAGE OF SENATE BILL NO. 1083 AND HOUSE BILL NO. 6875, AS ITS COUNTERPART BILL IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, AS “ANTI-TERRORISM ACT OF 2020” was also treated as a simple resolution and referred to as business of the day.
✅The Proposed Resolution No. 245, entitled: RESOLUTION REQUISTING THE CHIEF MINISTER TO BRING TO THE ATTENTION OF THE PRESIDENT, REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES, THE SECURITY CONCERNS INVOLVING THE SERIES OF KILLINGS OF MOROS IN THE BANGSAMORO COMMUNITIES OUTSIDE BARMM PARTICULARLY IN THE MUNICIPALITIES OF POLOMOLOK AND TUPI, SOUTH COTABATO was referred to as business of the day.
✅The Proposed Resolution No. 246, entitled: A RESOLUTION CALLING FOR THE BTA PARLIAMENT TO CREATE AN AD HOC COMMITTEE ON TRANSITIONAL DEVELOPMENT IMPACT FUND (TDIF) THAT SHALL DRAFT THE BILL AND THE CORRESPONDING GUIDELINES FOR THE UTILIZATION OF THE TDIF was referred to the Committee on Rules.
✅The Proposed Resolution No. 247, entitled: RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING THE MEMBERS OF THE BANGSAMORO TRANSITION AUTHORITY (BTA) TO UTILIZE THEIR RESPECTIVE MAINTENANCE AND OTHER OPERATING EXPENSES (MOOEs) IN PROVIDING ASSISTANCE TO THE BANGSAMORO CONSTITUENTS DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC was referred to the Committee on Finance and the Committee on Rules.
✅MINISTER OF THE MINISTRY OF BASIC, HIGHER, AND TECHNICAL EDUCATION, HON. MOHAGHER IQBAL DELIVERED HIS PRIVILEGE SPEECH.
He shed light on the two memorandums terminating the employment of provisional and temporary employees of the Ministry of Basic, Higher and Technical Education effective May 31, 2020.
Accordingly, the MBHTE has 25,554 number of employees which represent the 60% of BARMM employees. There are 22,538 teaching personnel, 828 provisional employees who comprise 3.2% of the total population of MBHTE or 3.6% of the teaching personnel. According to him, he needs to balance compassion and discipline while, at the same time, upholding the rule of law. In giving compassion, he however cannot afford to trample upon categorical provisions of law, civil service commission, memorandum circulars, and other applicable government auditing and accounting rules.
The MILF struggle doesn’t end in being able to govern the BARMM but rather in reforming society through the principle of moral governance.
The BARMM government identified several “species” particularly, ghost schools, ghost teachers and ghost school buildings, even including the flying ones.
The MBHTE received so many bashes and comments on the issued Memorandum Order No. 154 and Memorandum Order No. 194-B on the Cease and Desist Order of Provisional Teachers and Employees under temporary status to take effect on May 31, 2020, which was already an extension to grant the provisional employees their midyear bonus and Emergency Relief Assistance.
Explaining further, Minister Iqbal said a provisional or temporary appointment is good only for one (1) school year but the affected provisional employees stayed with their position for almost two (2) decades. Some even stayed 30 to 40 years in service, which is clearly against the law. This happened because of political reasons before that needs to be corrected now.
Today is the time to reform education to professionalize the rules governing teachers in the BARMM, to clean and disinfect the society, said Minister Iqbal. For the Minister, there is an urgent need to uplift the quality and status of education.
Minister Iqbal appealed to the Chief Minister and the Ministry and Budget and Finance to allocate budget for the provisional employees to be taken in as contract of service until 2021.
There is no law allowing non-eligible teachers or non-LET passers to become a permanent employee or be given a plantilla position.
✅Other Members of Parliament manifested their support for Minister Iqbal.
✅There were questions raised and most were answered during the interpellation as follows:
- How many months will the provisional employees be in contract of service?
>According to Minister Iqbal, it is only good for one (1) year. If they will pass the LET then it will automatically changed their status from provisional to permanent status. If they will not pass, they have to accept being removed from the post.
- As a contractual from 2020 – 2021, what will be their salary?
>It will be based on the Salary Standardization Law.
- What are the measures to improve the quality of education that we have in the public schools? For example, many teachers commit grammatical errors when teaching.
- Why is Maguindanao hiring first? When will be the hiring for Lanao del Sur?
>According to Minister Iqbal, it is a matter of sequencing the process. The largest province and population goes first and this is Maguindanao. This will be followed by Tawi-Tawi, Basilan, Sulu and then Lanao del Sur. Currently, there are already more than 9,000 teachers from Lanao del Sur, compared to only more than 6,000 for Maguindanao.
>Now, there are 1,000 applicants from Marawi City but there are only 16 available items. There is a need to promote some positions first to create more items. The School Head shall be given a permanent position, not just a designation to avoid conflict and political interest.
✅MINISTER OF THE MINISTRY OF HEALTH, DR. SAFFRULLAH M. DIPATUAN DELIVERED HIS PRIVILEGE SPEECH.
His speech entitled “A YOUNG BARMM AMID GLOBAL CRISIS”
He gave a brief description on what we are up against, the COVID-19 virus disease.
As of June 23, 2020, more than 9 million confirmed cases have been reported across 188 countries and territories, resulting to more than 470,000 deaths. More than 49 million people have recovered in a global scale. We are embedded in the dark side with no vaccine to treat and prevent this pandemic.
In BARMM, as of June 22, 2020, there is a cumulative total number of 99 confirmed cases, of which 4 died and 35 recovered. The remaining number of active cases as of today is 60. The cumulative number of confirmed cases are distributed as follows:
6 in Basilan;
69 in Lanao del Sur;
21 in Maguindanao;
3 in Sulu; and
Tawi-Tawi remains COVID free.
Positive cases accumulated because of the returning OFWs and “Balik Probinsya” Program. Despite of this, the Ministry of Health will do its best to keep the Bangsamoro people safe.
We have to continue fighting the crisis hand in hand. Thus, the Ministry of Health would like to give recognition to the cohesive efforts to all involve agencies and organizations in fighting against the COVID-19 pandemic. There is no agency that can stand alone in this time of crisis.
