ARMM gov offers infra budget to fund Bangsamoro region polls
ZAMBOANGA CITY — An official of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) has proposed the realignment of the regional government’s 2019 budget to fund the Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL) plebiscite amid reports that no money was allocated for the electoral exercise.
“We support the BOL all the way and budget should not be a problem. We are recommending to allow part of the proposed ARMM budget to be used for the plebiscite,” ARMM Gov. Mujiv Hataman said on Sunday.
The governor’s statement came amid reports that there was no allocation in the P3.757-trillion 2019 national budget for the BOL plebiscite, which requires P857 million.
Infra fund
Lawmakers earlier said that the P10-billion budget submitted by the Commission on Elections (Comelec) for 2019 did not include expenditures for the plebiscite.
Hataman said Congress may realign more than P800 million for the plebiscite from the P10.1-billion infrastructure fund for the region proposed by the ARMM.
Article continues after this advertisementPresident Duterte signed Republic Act No. 11054, or the Organic Law for the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), on July 26.
Article continues after this advertisementLast week, the ARMM received approval of the 2019 regional budget amounting to P32 billion, a third of which was set aside for infrastructure projects.
Pushing BOL
The plebiscite in January next year seeks to create the BARMM, comprising of areas under the ARMM’s existing territories, as well as affirm or reject the inclusion in the new region of the cities of Cotabato and Isabela as well as six towns in Lanao del Norte province and 39 villages in North Cotabato province.
“We have gone a long way and we are just few steps to our goal. We are hopeful that the necessary funds will be available and the plebiscite will push through, come January,” said Rep. Amihilda Sangcopan of the party-list group Anak Mindanao.
“I have faith that my fellow lawmakers, especially those who voted to pass the Bangsamoro Organic Law, will not allow our efforts to go to waste and the necessary funds will be allocated before the budget hearing be terminated,” Sangcopan said.
Lawmakers, in a report last week, said if the funding problem was not settled in Congress within the succeeding days, an option would be for the Comelec to use its savings from the barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections held in May this year. Another option was to seek funding from the Office of the President.
Lanao del Norte Rep. Mohamad Khalid Dimaporo, in local media reports, said he believed Mr. Duterte “would not fail the people and … the Bangsamoro.”
“It is vital that the plebiscite take place as scheduled,” Hataman said.
“We are looking at all the options open to us, including realignment of regional government funds, because it is that important to the future of our region,” he added.
Pet measure
Tawi-Tawi Rep. Ruby Sahali said money was available, noting that she did not see any reason that Congress would not allocate funds for the plebiscite.
“Remember, it’s a pet legislation of our President,” she said.
She said at least P8 billion had been allocated in 2016 for the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL), the earlier version of the BOL. This, however, was not used because the BBL did not push through.
Sahali said: “We cannot use a fraction of that amount because that has been allocated for ARMM. Unless the plebiscite is finished and the ARMM is abolished, then that is the time we can use that.” —REPORTS FROM JULIE ALIPALA AND EDWIN FERNANDEZ
