Minority Floor Leader Atty. Laisa Masuhud Alamia will be speaking in a series of seminars aimed at consolidating support for regional legislation on the rights of Bangsamoros who have been internally displaced due to hazards, conflict and violence, and human rights violations. The webinars are geared towards protection actors and leaders among communities of internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Mindanao, and will be conducted by the UN Refugee Agency within the month.
Over three hundred thousand live in internal displacement, with more than 80% of displacement in Mindanao have taken place in areas within the BARMM. This trend is expected to continue in the coming years unless both the regional and national governments take action.
As the principal author of the bill on IDP rights and protection filed in the Bangsamoro parliament, Alamia will lead two webinars in which participants will be identifying key protection strategies and mechanisms to protect IDPs in the region. Updates on the status of the proposed national legislation on IDP rights will also be discussed in the webinar, alongside a discussion of salient points found in corresponding legislation filed in the regional parliament.
Given its autonomy, it is incumbent upon the Bangsamoro Government to bridge any legal gaps in national legislation and to provide an immediate response to the needs of Moro IDPs. The IDP bill filed in the Bangsamoro parliament affirms the regional government’s role in providing protection and humanitarian assistance to IDPs within its jurisdiction.
The first webinar in the series will be held on October 15, where MP Alamia will tackle the salient points of the said bill and how it can impact IDP protection in the region.
