Manila: A lawmaker has expressed willingness to back the proposed Transitional Justice and Reconciliation (TJR) bill, according to Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation and Unity (OPAPRU) Secretary Mel Senen Sarmiento. In a news release on Wednesday, Sarmiento said House Speaker Faustino De Guzman Dy III expressed his intentions to expedite the passage of the TJR Bill following their meeting on Tuesday.
According to Philippines News Agency, Sarmiento noted that Speaker De Guzman Dy III proposed to Senate President Sherwin Gatchalian that the Senate and the House jointly craft the bill. TJR is a key component of the Normalization Track of the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro, signed by the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), and is one of the priorities of Chief Minister Abdulraof Macacua.
Sarmiento further mentioned that the Speaker suggested convening all concerned stakeholders to reconcile their respective versions before further deliberations in either chamber. This approach aims to expedite the bill's passage by producing a harmonized version from the outset, thereby minimizing differences and, ideally, eliminating the need for a bicameral conference committee.
Last December, the Government of the Philippines (GPH) and MILF Peace Implementing Panels officially launched the TJR Roadmap. The Roadmap outlines the interventions to be carried out by the national and the Bangsamoro governments, civil society, and other stakeholders to address legitimate grievances, correct historical injustices, resolve human rights violations, and remedy marginalization through land dispossession. It is anchored on the 'Dealing with the Past' framework, which upholds the rights to truth, justice, reparation, and guarantees of non-recurrence.
Early this year, the Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA) passed the Bangsamoro Transitional Justice and Reconciliation Act of 2026, establishing a regional mechanism to address historical injustices, land dispossession, and human rights violations while promoting healing and reconciliation in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region. The BTA stated that the measure created an independent body called the Bangsamoro Transitional Justice and Reconciliation Commission (BTJRC), which will oversee the Bangsamoro Transitional Justice and Reconciliation Program. Members of the Bangsamoro Parliament described the measure as 'the heart of the Bangsamoro peace process,' highlighting its central role in building lasting peace.
