The Bangsamoro Internal Displacement Coordinating Council (BIDCC), a created division under BAA No. 62, also known as the Rights of the Internally Displaced Persons Act of 2024, conducted its 2nd Technical Working Group Meeting last March 19-20, 2025, at Pagana Kutawato Native Restaurant, Cotabato City. This was led by the Ministry of Social Services and Development (MSSD) as the secretariat of the said council. BIDCC, under the law, will serve as the main instrumentality to focus on internally displaced persons (IDPs) and all displacement concerns of the region in providing cohesive and comprehensive mechanisms in the implementing rules and regulations and ensuring that their rights and immediate concerns will be strategically addressed.
The 2-day activity intends to discuss the urgent matters assigned to the 2 created Technical Working Groups (TWGs): TWG 1 on engaging stakeholders’ plans and programs to bring clear implementations of the law or the internal rules and regulations and TWG 2 as the resources where there is a need to plot budget allocations per ministry’s proposed work and financial plans. These TWGs are strategically created to have an effective contribution to the BIDCC. It also aims to allow participants to understand clearly their roles and responsibilities as members and establish clear protocols and priority actions for an effective council formulation.
MP Atty. Raissa H. Jajurie, MSSD and Chair of BIDCC, welcomed the activity and acknowledged the participants by emphasizing their role, interconnectivity, and the importance of each ministry’s involvement in the implementing rules and regulations (IRR) of this law. She specified that this council will discuss the internal rules and procedures and the 50 million appropriated budget for IDP and displacement operations. MP Jajurie pointed out that the design of the proposed programs per member agency must be aligned to their mandates and should focus not just on the immediate intervention but for the long-term support or impact leading to the lens of durable solutions. Accordingly, under the law provided, formulating the Bangsamoro Internal Displacement Plan (BIDP) will be the basis of their work as BIDCC.
The first day of the activity mainly focused on the discussion of the BAA No. 62 salient points and its IRR, the formulation of the criteria and selection of TWG members and committees, the discussion on the internal rules and procedures, and the initial BIDCC proposal. Highlights of this day were the dialogue on the BIDCC internal rules and procedures’ composition, general powers and functions of committees and secretariat, selection of criteria and representatives of CSO and IDP membership. One of the processes agreed and pre-identified criteria for CSO and IDP membership is the non-affiliation of any government position.
The second day continued with the plenary discussion of the workshop and tackled presentations of the proposals with budget appropriations, including ways forward. MP Jajurie ensured that there would still be consultations with those who were not able to attend this activity and deliberations from the council on the finalization of pertinent documents. Commitment and support from the security sectors were also gained. The internal rules and procedures (IRP) and presentation of the proposed framework on the institutionalization of BIDP programs will be the target discussion for the next meeting.
Mr. Guiamel M. Alim, Chairperson of the Consortium of Bangsamoro Civil Society (CBCS) wittily gave his closing message, emphasizing the full support in terms of IDP protection and BAA No. 62 advocacy.
Attendees:
- Ministry of Social Services and Development
- Ministry of Interior and Local Government
- Ministry of Public Order and Safety
- Bangsamoro Human Rights Commission
- Philippine National Police
- Ministry of Science and Technology
- Ministry of Public Works
- BARMM Cooperative and Social Enterprise Authority
- Ministry of Health
- Bangsamoro Youth Commission
- Ministry of Human Settlement and Development
- Ministry of Indigenous Peoples Affairs
- Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Agrarian Reform
- Consortium of Bangsamoro Civil Society
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