Proposed Resolution No. 565
AdoptedResolution Approving the Selection of Barangay Sarmiento, Municipality of Parang, Province of Maguindanao Del Norte as the Location for the Bangsamoro Government Center by the Committee on the Establishment of the Seat of Government of the BARMM (Cesg) in Its Resolution No. 001, Series of 2024
Filed
Referred to the Committee on Rules
Committee Report No. 131 RE: PR No. 565 Adopted
Adopted as Resolution No. 537 as amended and subject to styleNow
Voted on and adopted by Parliament.
What this measure does
The proposal would have Parliament approve the choice of Barangay Sarmiento in Parang, Maguindanao del Norte, as the site of the Bangsamoro Government Center, as identified by the Committee on the Establishment of the Seat of Government (CESG) in its Resolution No. 001, Series of 2024.
Filed on 6 May 2024 by MP Sha Elijah B. Dumama-Alba and 40 other principal authors, with 2 co-authors. It was referred to the Committee on Rules on 20 May 2024, reported out in Committee Report No. 131, and adopted as amended as Resolution No. 537 on 17 February 2025.
Why it was proposed
Section 1, Article VII of the Organic Law has Parliament fix the permanent seat of government by law. Bangsamoro Autonomy Act No. 37, the Seat of Government Act of 2023, enacted on 19 June 2023, put the seat in Parang and created the CESG, chaired by the Senior Minister with the ministers of finance, public works, environment and transportation, the heritage commission chair and the planning director-general, to identify the site. On 7 March 2024 the CESG chose Barangay Sarmiento, and the Office of the Senior Minister endorsed the choice to the Speaker on 22 March. Section 5 of the act makes the choice subject to Parliament's approval. The proposal says the selection was unanimous, notes a community consultation by the Ministry of the Interior and Local Government in Sarmiento on 26 April 2024, and calls immediate action imperative.
Who it affects
- Residents and landholders of Barangay Sarmiento, Parang.
- Bangsamoro Government offices and employees who would move to the new center.
Who would implement it
- Committee on the Establishment of the Seat of Government.
Funding
No appropriation. The resolution appropriates nothing.
What changes if it becomes law
- Adopted as amended as Resolution No. 537 on 17 February 2025.
- Unlike most resolutions, this has legal effect: Section 5 of Bangsamoro Autonomy Act No. 37 makes Parliament's approval a condition of the site choice.
Raised during deliberations
No published record of the debate on this measure. Parliament’s journals cover sittings up to March 2023 only, and no committee report on it has been published.
What to notice
Though it called immediate action imperative, it waited more than 9 months with the Committee on Rules. The adopted Resolution No. 537 adds 2 conditions this proposal lacks: Parliament keeps its oversight of Bangsamoro Autonomy Act No. 37, and the CESG must consult Parliament on every major step of site development. The approval names a barangay, not a parcel, budget or timetable.
Sources