The national and the Bangsamoro governments will work on the possible inclusion under the 2023 budget of more national projects and programs in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), the Department of Finance (DOF) said.
In a statement, the DOF said key officials of the national and Bangsamoro governments in the Intergovernmental Relations Body (IGRB) have resolved to continue the engagement of their respective cabinet departments and ministries to identify additional nationally funded programs (NFPs) in the BARMM for possible inclusion in the proposed 2023 national budget.
During the IGRB’s recent meeting, the Department of Budget and Management discussed the issue on the inclusion in the national budget of NFPs located in the Bangsamoro region.
Under Section 13, Article VI of the Bangsamoro Organic Law, national programs and projects in the BARMM such as the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program, Health Facility Enhancement Program, School Building Program, retained hospitals of the Department of Health, Philippine Heath Insurance Corp., the social pension of senior citizens and the Task Force Bangon Marawi shall continue to be funded by the national government without prejudice to the power of the Bangsamoro government to provide supplemental funding for such programs and projects.
The national government and BARMM have previously agreed that this list is not an exclusive one and that national government agencies may still fund other national programs and projects in the Bangsamoro region as decided upon by the two sides.
Carlos Dominguez, DOF secretary, pointed out that because the national government makes its budget call every February of each year, it is crucial for the different national government agencies and the BARMM ministries to directly coordinate, identify and agree on which NFPs could be possibly included for funding under the 2023 national budget.
The national government agencies and BARMM ministries are expected to report to the IGRB relevant updates as to their coordination regarding the NFPs in the next meeting of the body tentatively scheduled in the second week of December.
