The City Council, during last Monday’s regular session, approved on first reading a proposed ordinance creating the Baguio City Muslim Consultative Council (BCMCC).
Under the proposed ordinance, it shall be the policy of the local government to help promote the rights, interests, and wellbeing of Muslim Filipinos in the city to render due regard to their belief, customs, traditions, ethnic groups, and institutions to enhance their contribution to national goals and aspirations and to make them active participants in the attainment of a peaceful, harmonious, stable, and prosperous community.
Further, the ordinance is in line with the goal to foster unity among all sectors and communities, thus, the local government shall involve the local Muslim sector in the formulation of its policies and programs, and support activities relative to the promotion of their cultural belief, customs, traditions and institutions.
The ordinance explained that the BCMCC shall serve as the coordinating and advisory body to the local government for the formulation of policies, plans, programs, projects and activities for the wellbeing of local Muslim constituents, in conformity with existing laws and ordinances and aligned with local and national unity efforts.
The BCMCC shall be composed of the City Mayor as Chairperson and the Chairman of the City Council Committee on Peace and Order, Human Rights and Justice, City Administrator, City Legal Officer, City Social Welfare and Development Officer, City Planning and Development Officer, City Public Employment Service officer, local Muslim community leaders and officers, local Muslim youth and student and young professional sector representative, local Muslim women sector representative, local Muslim student sector representative, Ulama sector representative, Imam sector representative, local Muslim business sector representative, local Muslim professional sector representative, local Balik-Islam sector representative, local Muslim senior citizens representative and local Muslim persons with disability and solo parents representative.
The ordinance mandated the creation of a Muslim Affairs Office which will be an office or unit or section under the City Social Welfare and Development Office. It shall be headed by a Muslim Affairs Office Coordinator as officer-in-charge.
It emphasized that no person will be designated or appointed as coordinator unless he or she is a Muslim resident of the city, a college graduate, and familiar with computer applications and office work. The coordinator shall be primarily responsible for administrative and liaison work pertinent to the responsibilities and activities of the said office in line with the purposes set forth under the Commission on Muslim Filipinos, the local government and Muslim communities in the city.
The ordinance stated that the funding necessary to implement its pertinent provisions shall be sourced from the appropriate funds under the City Social Welfare and Development Office or from any available funds of the local government pursuant to government accounting and auditing management procedures, other existing laws, rules and regulations and shall be appropriated in the city’s annual budget, commencing in the next fiscal year following its enactment. By Dexter A. See
