1
Republic of the Philippines 
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
Batasan Hills, Quezon City 
Twentieth Congress 
First Regular Session 
House Bill No. 935 
Introduced by Honorable Representatives 
DADAH KIRAM ISMULA (Akbayan Partylist) 
JOSE MANUEL TADEO “CHEL” I. DIOKNO (Akbayan Partylist) 
PERCIVAL V. CENDAÑA (Akbayan Partylist) 
ARLENE “KAKA” J. BAG-AO (Dinagat Islands) 
AN ACT CREATING THE NATIONAL TRANSITIONAL JUSTICE 
RECONCILIATION AND COMMISSION FOR THE BANGSAMORO, 
ESTABLISHING A TRANSITIONAL JUSTICE AND RECONCILIATION 
PROGRAM FOR THE BANGSAMORO, AND APPROPRIATING FUNDS 
THEREFOR 
EXPLANATORY NOTE 
On March 27, 2014, the Government of the Republic of the Philippines (GRP) 
1 
and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) signed the Comprehensive Agreement 
2 
on the Bangsamoro (CAB), outlining the institutional mechanisms and modalities 
3 
necessary to end the sovereignty-based conflict in Mindanao that has plagued the 
4 
region for several decades.  
5 
6 
Under the CAB, both parties agreed to "work out a program for transitional 
7 
justice to address the legitimate grievances of the Bangsamoro people, correct 
8 
historical injustices, and address human rights violations and marginalization through 
9 
land dispossession." For this purpose, the Annex on Normalization provided for the 
10 
creation of an independent "Transitional Justice and Reconciliation Commission (TJRC) 
11 
to undertake a study and recommend to the Panels the appropriate mechanism for 
12 
transitional justice and reconciliation."  
13 
14 
Thereafter, on September 2014, the TJRC was established and convened. 
15 
Utilizing the dealing with the past' framework, they went through an elaborate 
16 
Consultation Process that involved community-based "listening process" sessions, 
17 
study group reviews of existing research, as well as key policy interviews. Additional 
18 
independent research projects were also implemented relative to the mandate of the 
19 
TJRC.  
20 
21 
In total, the TJRC conducted a "listening process" in more than 210 Moro 
22 
indigenous, and settler communities in Mindanao and the Sulu archipelago, involving 
23 
some 3,000 community members and local officials. The TJRC also engaged with a 
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July 1, 2025
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wide range of experts from the Bangsamoro Region and at the national level, including 
1 
peace-building and human rights practitioners, community and religious leaders, 
2 
academics and scholars of Bangsamoro history and culture, public servants, and 
3 
representatives of the security and private sectors. 
4 
The TJRC turned over its report to the peace negotiating panels of the GRP and 
5 
MILF in December 2015 and subsequently released its report to the public on March 
6 
2016. In said report, TJRC recommended for the creation of a National Transitional 
7 
Justice and Reconciliation Commission for the Bangsamoro (NTRJCB).  
8 
9 
On April 24, 2019, the Office of the President issued Executive Order No. 79 
10 
entitled, "Implementing the Annex on Normalization under the Comprehensive 
11 
Agreement on the Bangsamoro", created the Inter-Cabinet Cluster Mechanism on 
12 
Normalization (ICCMN) to guarantee the implementation of the recommendations 
13 
provided in the report of the TJRC towards the adoption and implementation of the 
14 
Transitional Justice and Reconciliation Program for the Bangsamoro. On March 30, 
15 
2021, ICCMN approved the proposed Transitional Justice and Reconciliation roadmap. 
16 
17 
Unfortunately, a Transitional Justice and Reconciliation Program for the 
18 
Bangsamoro has yet to be created.  
19 
20 
Transitional justice is an evolving practice in conflict resolution that covers the 
21 
full range of processes and mechanisms associated with society's attempt to come to 
22 
terms with the legacy of large-scale conflict, repression, violations, and abuses, in 
23 
order to ensure accountability, serve justice, and achieve reconciliation.  
24 
25 
A Transitional Justice and Reconciliation Program for the Bangsamoro will 
26 
essentially be the attempt of the Philippine State to recognize the legitimate grievances 
27 
of the Bangsamoro, rectify these injustices by addressing the root causes of the 
28 
conflict, and ensure its non-recurrence through the establishment of institutional 
29 
mechanisms for transitional justice and reconciliation. The full realization of this 
30 
program shall serve as vehicle for peace and harmony in the Mindanao, in consonance 
31 
with the national clamor for unity and progress. 
32 
33 
In view of the foregoing, this bill seeks to institutionalize a Transitional Justice 
34 
and Reconciliation Program (TJRP) for the Bangsamoro, and thereby creating the 
35 
NATIONAL TRANSITIONAL JUSTICE AND RECONCILIATION COMMISSION FOR THE 
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BANGSAMORO.  
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38 
Consistent with our collective desire to sustain the gains of peace, unity and 
39 
development in the Bangsamoro, the passage of this bill into law is earnestly sought. 
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REP. DADAH KIRAM ISMULA 
AKBAYAN PARTYLIST 
JOSE MANUEL TADEO “CHEL” I. 
DIOKNO 
AKBAYAN REPRESENTATIVE 
REP. PERCIVAL V. CENDAÑA 
AKBAYAN REPRESENTATIVE 
ARLENE “KAKA” J. BAG-AO 
DINAGAT ISLANDS 
1 


4
Republic of the Philippines 
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
Batasan Hills, Quezon City 
Twentieth Congress 
First Regular Session 
House Bill No. 935 
Introduced by Honorable Representatives 
DADAH KIRAM ISMULA (Akbayan Partylist) 
JOSE MANUEL TADEO “CHEL” I. DIOKNO (Akbayan Partylist) 
PERCIVAL V. CENDAÑA (Akbayan Partylist) 
ARLENE “KAKA” J. BAG-AO (Dinagat Islands) 
AN ACT CREATING THE NATIONAL TRANSITIONAL JUSTICE 
RECONCILIATION AND COMMISSION FOR THE BANGSAMORO, 
ESTABLISHING A TRANSITIONAL JUSTICE AND RECONCILIATION 
PROGRAM FOR THE BANGSAMORO, AND APPROPRIATING FUNDS 
THEREFOR 
Be It enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines in 
Congress assembled:  
SECTION 1. Short Title. - This Act shall be known as the "Transitional Justice 
1 
and Reconciliation Act for the Bangsamoro." 
2 
 Sec. 2. Declaration of Policy. — It is hereby a declared policy of the State to 
3 
ensure pursue a lasting and enduring peace, reconciliation and development in the 
4 
Bangsamoro region. The State shall create a program that shall address the legitimate 
5 
grievances of the Bangsamoro people, rectify historical injustices, address human 
6 
rights violations, and marginalization through land dispossession. The State shall 
7 
likewise ensure the non-recurrence of such injustices and violations. 
8 
 Sec. 3. Definition of Terms— As used in this Act: 
9 
a. Historical Injustices - include acts committed and transactions entered into
10 
by state and non-state actors with the Bangsamoro and other inhabitants of
11 
the Mindanao and Sulu archipelago that have placed the Bangsamoro people
12 
at a political and economic disadvantage and, while hating occurred in the
13 
distant past, continue to impact their lives today.
14 
b. Land Dispossession - includes dispossession by ostensibly lawful means,
15 
such as public land laws but may have been attended by force, duress,
16 
intimidation, stealth, and deception.
17 
c. Marginalization - refers to the political and economic disenfranchisement that
18 
the Bangsamoro people and other inhabitants of the Mindanao and Sulu
19 
archipelagos have suffered due to unjust national laws, programs, policies, as
20 
well as government neglect and failure to address destructive and exploitative
21 
actions of non-state actors.
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d. Transitional Justice -means the full range of process and mechanisms 
1 
associated with a society's attempts to come to terms with a legacy of past 
2 
abuses, in order to ensure accountability, serve justice and achieve 
3 
reconciliation which include criminal prosecution, truth telling, reparations 
4 
programs and Institutional reform. 
5 
e. Legitimate Grievances - refer to grievances that are rooted or grounded on 
6 
objective 
conditions 
and 
circumstances 
like 
landlessness, 
poverty, 
7 
unemployment widespread discrimination and abuses, ethnic dominance, inter-
8 
group hatred, political/economic exclusion, gender violence or injustice. 
9 
 Sec. 4. Transitional Justice and Reconciliation Program for the Bangsamoro. 
10 
— There is hereby established a Transitional Justice and Reconciliation Program for 
11 
the Bangsamoro, hereinafter referred to as the "Program," which shall address 
12 
legitimate grievances of the Bangsamoro and Indigenous peoples, historical injustices 
13 
and human rights violation, including marginalization through land dispossession, with 
14 
the following aims: 
15 
a. Provide venues for the victims of conflict to be heard and mechanisms for 
16 
the investigation of serious violations of international human rights law and 
17 
international humanitarian law, and enable inquiries into specific events of the 
18 
armed conflict; 
19 
b. Contribute to the resolution of outstanding land disputes in conflict-affected 
20 
areas in the Bangsamoro and address the legacy of land dispossession with 
21 
concrete measures to provide redress; 
22 
c. Provide effective counteractions to impunity, by promoting accountability and 
23 
strengthening the rule of law in relation to past and present wrongdoings, 
24 
including crimes identified under international conventions to which the 
25 
Philippines is a signatory; and 
26 
d. Promote healing and reconciliation among the different communities affected 
27 
by the conflict. 
28 
Sec. 5. National Transitional Justice and Reconciliation Commission on the 
29 
Bangsamoro. — There is hereby created a National Transitional Justice and 
30 
Reconciliation Commission on the Bangsamoro, hereinafter referred to as the 
31 
"Commission" under the Office of the President. The Commission shall design and 
32 
formulate mechanisms to implement the Program and supervise such implementation. 
33 
In formulating the mechanisms, the Commission shall be guided by a framework of 
34 
dealing with the past that respects, protects, and fulfills the right to truth, right to 
35 
justice and right to reparation of the victims and ensure non-recurrence of any 
36 
violation. For this purpose, the Commission shall adopt its own operational guidelines 
37 
and rules of procedure. 
38 
Sec. 6. Composition. — The Commission shall be composed of five (5) regular 
39 
members headed by a Chairperson and two (2) ex-officio representatives from the 
40 
civil society organizations who shall sit as non-voting members of the Commission. 
41 
The President shall appoint all members of the Commission; Provided, That the two 
42 
(2) ex-officio representatives shall be appointed upon the recommendation of the civil 
43 
society organizations. 
44 
Sec. 7. Qualifications of the Regular Members of the Commission. - No person 
45 
shall be appointed as Member of the Commission unless he/she possess the minimum 
46 
qualifications: 
47 
a. A natural-born citizen of the Republic of the Philippines; 
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b. Of proven competence, integrity, probity and independence; and 
1 
c. Has distinguished himself/herself in the field of conflict resolution,  
2 
peacebuilding, human rights, and other related heads of expertise. 
3 
 Sec. 8. Powers and Functions. — The Commission shall have the following 
4 
powers and functions. 
5 
a. Conduct a nationwide information, education, and dissemination program for 
6 
the popularization of the rationale and principles of transitional justice and 
7 
reconciliation, as well as its implementing mechanisms; 
8 
b. Investigate, study, and recommend measures for the resolution of cases of 
9 
individuals and communities adversely affected by armed conflict, serious 
10 
violations of human rights and international humanitarian law, and outstanding 
11 
land disputes in the conflict-affected areas, generally and as provided in the 
12 
mandates of the sub- commission. Pursuant to this, the Commission and its 
13 
sub-commission may take the testimony or receive  evidence, administer oath, 
14 
summon witnesses, and require the production of documents by subpoena 
15 
duces tecum; 
16 
c. Determine the factors that contribute to impunity in relation to past and 
17 
present wrongdoings, and recommend appropriate actions to dismantle 
18 
impunity, promote accountability, and strengthen the rule of law; 
19 
 d. Coordinate with the public and private sectors in the formulation of short, 
20 
medium, and long-term programs under a comprehensive approach to 
21 
transitional justice and reconciliation; 
22 
e. Call upon other government agencies, including government-owned and 
23 
controlled corporations and government financial institutions, for any support 
24 
it needs to carry out its mandate; 
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f. Submit to the President recommendations for further action, including 
26 
proposed bills on matters requiring legislative actions, when necessary, to fully 
27 
implement its proposals and programs; and 
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g. Perform such other functions as may be necessary for the effective discharge 
29 
of its mandate. 
30 
Sec. 9. Organizational Structure and Staffing Pattern. — Within three (3) 
31 
months from the creation of the Commission, the organizational structure and staffing 
32 
pattern shall be formulated and finalized in coordination with the Department of 
33 
Budget and Management. TO assist the Commission in the performance of its duties, 
34 
four (4) sub-commissions are hereby created, which shall deal with specific aspects of 
35 
transitional justice for the Bangsamoro: 
36 
a. Sub-Commission on Bangsamoro Historical Memory, which shall have the 
37 
following specific functions: 
38 
i. To contribute to confidence building in communities affected by the 
39 
conflict through fact finding and truth seeking, while ensuring their 
40 
protection, safety and dignity. In particular, the sub-commission shall 
41 
listen to the testimony of victims in closed or public hearings, in order to 
42 
collect witness statements and evidence related to specific violent  
43 
events, with sensitivity to accounts of women who have been victims of 
44 
gender-based and sexual violence; 
45 
ii. To investigate serious violations of international human rights and 
46 
international humanitarian law, focusing, among other, on specific 
47 
emblematic cases of mass atrocity crimes, of land dispossession, and of 
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conflict-related sexual and gender-based violence to determine whether 
1 
such forms of violence were practiced as a deliberate strategy of war in 
2 
the Bangsamoro conflict; 
3 
iii. To publish series of reports on the results of its investigation and 
4 
cases of international human right violations, which include an analysis 
5 
of the findings and recommendations related to individual, collective, 
6 
and symbolic forms of reparations, accountability for crimes committed, 
7 
institutional reforms, and reconciliation; and 
8 
iv. To establish databases on violations of international human rights 
9 
and international humanitarian law in the Bangsamoro from 1948 until 
10 
the present, particularly a database on conflict-related human casualties. 
11 
b. Sub-Commission against Impunity and on the Promotion of Accountability 
12 
and Rule of law In the Bangsamoro, which shall be responsible for the 
13 
following: 
14 
i. To identify, investigate, and recommend policies, operational means, 
15 
and concrete measures to address and overcome practices of impunity 
16 
at all levels, whether of a technical, political, or financial nature and 
17 
whether related to past or present wrongdoings; and 
18 
ii. To request disciplinary procedures against public officials who fail to 
19 
cooperate or who obstruct justice and the rule of law. 
20 
 c. Sub-Commission on Land Dispossession in the Bangsamoro, which is 
21 
authorized: 
22 
i.  To address issues related to land dispossession, use, and tenure in 
23 
the conflict- affected areas in the Bangsamoro by developing or 
24 
implementing a dispute resolution mechanism for land conflicts including 
25 
indigenous peoples' (IPs) claims on ancestral domains, and for 
26 
identifying lands where there are competing claimants; 
27 
ii. To create a database on actual land ownership in the Bangsamoro 
28 
and on land dispossession that may be used to support legal proceedings 
29 
and restitution or reparation programs, including cadastral, geo-tagged, 
30 
and community-based participatory mapping sets; 
31 
iii. To support the overall redesign of land services in the Bangsamoro 
32 
by recommending changes in the legal framework and all procedures 
33 
related to land titling, registration, taxation, and management, including 
34 
claims of IPs on ancestral domains, for legislation. 
35 
d. Sub-Commission on Bangsamoro Healing and Reconciliation, which is 
36 
empowered: 
37 
i. To identify and support traditional practices of reconciliation at the 
38 
community level; 
39 
ii. To develop and promote a meaningful process for national 
40 
reconciliation with a view to encouraging cultural and attitudinal change; 
41 
and 
42 
iii. To support the other three (3) sub-commissions in the 
43 
implementation of their mandate by shaping and promoting a 
44 
reconciliatory vision for each of them. 
45 
 
46 
Each sub-commission shall cooperate with relevant national, regional, and local 
47 
institutions, both governmental and nongovernmental, in the exercise of its mandate. 
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Moreover, each sub-commission shall ensure the meaningful participation of women 
1 
in the processes that will be undertaken, taking into consideration their experiences 
2 
relevant to the objectives of transitional justice. 
3 
Sec. 10. National Consultation Process. — The appointment of members of the 
4 
Commission shall be made through national public consultations. For this purpose, the 
5 
Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace, Reconciliation and Unity shall propose 
6 
to the President a selection and appointment process for the members of the 
7 
Commission. This selection and appointment process shall Include the appointment of 
8 
a selection committee composed representatives of national, regional, and local 
9 
sectoral stakeholders. The selection committee, after its convention, shall select, from 
10 
the pool of nominees, the persons who shall be Included in the short lists of nominees 
11 
from which the President shall appoint the members of the Commission. The selection 
12 
committee and the Commission shall ensure the inclusion of women in its membership, 
13 
corresponding to representatives of national, regional and local stakeholders. The 
14 
Commission, whenever it deems appropriate, shall likewise conduct national public 
15 
consultations in the formulation of the implementing mechanisms of the Program. 
16 
Sec. 11. Secretariat — The Commission shall organize its Secretariat that shall  
17 
assist the performance of its functions and shall provide administrative and technical 
18 
support. It shall be headed by an Executive Director who shall be appointed by the 
19 
President. The Executive Director shall execute the policies and programs of the 
20 
Commission and shall be responsible for the efficient, and effective day-to-day 
21 
management of the operations of the Commission. The Executive Director shall 
22 
recommend to the Chairperson, for the approval of the Commission, the budget of the 
23 
Secretariat, its staffing pattern, position, classification and compensation scheme, and 
24 
the appointment of its personnel subject to existing laws, rules and regulations. The 
25 
Executive Director shall be appointed by the President. 
26 
 Sec. 12. Transitional Justice and Reconciliation Forum. — The Commission 
27 
shall actively engage with stakeholders In the formulation and implementation of its 
28 
projects and programs. For this purpose, it shall convene a Transitional Justice and 
29 
Reconciliation Forum which shall serve as the platform for stakeholders to monitor and 
30 
support the Transitional Justice and Reconciliation Program for the Bangsamoro. 
31 
Sec. 13. Duration. — The Commission shall operate for a period of six (6) years 
32 
from the effectivity of this Act or upon completion of the purpose for which it was 
33 
created, whichever comes first. However, it may continue to operate for additional 
34 
three (3) years upon the approval of the President. 
35 
Sec. 14. Appropriation. — For the initial operating expenses of the Commission 
36 
to carry out the mandate of this Act, the amount of One Hundred Million Pesos 
37 
(P100,000,000.00) is hereby appropriated to be charged against the unexpended  
38 
contingency funds of the Office of the President. Thereafter, the amount needed for 
39 
the operation and maintenance of the Commission shall be included in the annual 
40 
General Appropriations Act. The Commission is likewise authorized to accept 
41 
donations, contributions, grants, bequests or gifts from domestic or foreign sources, 
42 
for purposes relevant to its mandate and functions, in accordance with applicable laws 
43 
and rules and regulations subject to government accounting and auditing rules and 
44 
regulations. 
45 
Sec. 15. Implementing Rules and Regulations. - Within ninety (90) days from 
46 
the approval of this Act, the Commission shall promulgate rules and regulations 
47 
implementing the provisions of this Act. The implementing rules and regulations issued 
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pursuant to this Section shall take effect thirty (30) days after its publication in two 
1 
(2) newspapers of general circulation.  
2 
Sec. 16. Repealing clause. — All laws, orders, issuances, rules and regulations 
3 
inconsistent herewith are repealed or modified accordingly. 
4 
Sec. 17. Separability Clause. — If any of this Act is declared unconstitutional, 
5 
the remainder of this Act or any provision not affected thereby shall remain in full 
6 
force and effect. 
7 
Sec. 18. Effectivity. - This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its 
8 
publication in a newspaper of general circulation or in the Official Gazette.  
9 
 
10 
Approved,  
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