MENRE Minister Akmad A. Brahim and Bangsamoro Director General Atty. Badr E. Salendab attended the first-ever face-to-face meeting of the Joint Body on the Zones of Joint Cooperation (JBZJC) in the Moro Gulf and the Sulu Sea. The meeting was held in Pasig City, Metro Manila on 20 March 2023.

The JBZJC is a sub-Body of the Intergovernmental Relations Body (IGRB) created under Art. VI, Sec. 5 of the Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL) to “ensure the free movement of vessels, goods, and people in these Zones of Joint Cooperation, working together to regulate the waters therein and formulating policies jointly for the following purposes: (a) Protection of the traditional fishing grounds; (b) Equitable sharing of the benefits from the resources therein; and (c) Ensuring the inter connectivity of the islands and mainland areas comprising the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region towards a cohesive Bangsamoro political entity.” (Art. 13, Sec. 19)

On the National Government , the Body is Co-Chaired by the Secretary of Agriculture and has as members the Secretaries of: (1) Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and (2) Department of Transportation (DOTR).

On the Bangsamoro Government, it is Co-Chaired by the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Agrarian Reform with the following as members: (1) Minister of Environment, Natural Resources and Energy; (2) Minister of Transportation and Communications; and (3) Minister of Public Works.

BARMM LGUs and non-BARMM LGUs adjacent to the Moro Gulf and the Sulu Sea are likewise represented in the JBZJC.