Thousands of MILF supporters to attend Bangsamoro gov’t inauguration, President Duterte to grace event

President Rodrigo Roa Duterte. PRESIDENTIAL PHOTO

COTABATO CITY — Thousands of supporters of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) are expected to gather here to inaugurate the Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA), the interim government of the Bangsamoro autonomous region, on Friday, March 29 at the Shariff Kabunsuan Cultural Complex here.

President Duterte is scheduled to attend the inauguration.

Tents and big screen televisions have been put in place inside the compound for all to witness the event.

The BTA will hold its inaugural session at 8 a.m. on this date, with the adoption of its house rules, and the election of the Wali, speaker, deputy speaker and other presiding officers of the parliament, on top of its agenda.

The session will end at 11 a.m. to give way to the Friday prayer and preparation for the inaugural ceremony at 2 p.m.

Al-Hajj Murad Ebrahim, Bangsamoro government chief minister, said members of the BTA would take the oath before the Qur’an.

“We started the jihad with an oath before the Qur’an and we will also take an oath before the Qur’an as we start our governance,” he said.

The chief minister met with BTA members on Thursday, March 28, for a caucus to discuss who should be placed as officers of the parliament, the resolution for the election of Wali, parliamentary rules of the BTA, and program for the inaugural session.

The officers of the parliament will include the speaker, deputy speaker, secretary general, sergeant at arms, majority leader and minority leader.

Ebrahim had already announced during the turn-over ceremony of the ARMM to BARMM some of the officers, which included Ghazali Jaafar, who had passed away and should be replaced as speaker; lawyer Pangalian Balindong as deputy speaker, Ali Solaiman Pangalian as deputy chief minister, Abdul Sahrin as deputy chief minister for the island provinces and Halifax Mando as the Wali.

Irene Tillah, an assemblywoman in Sulu, said the officers of the parliament should also include women.

“I salute the chief minister’s effort,” she said. “However, they must include women as part of the officers of the parliament.”

The 80-member BTA, which includes 41 nominees of the MILF, 39 nominees of the national government, and elected officials of the now abolished Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, will govern the new autonomous region until the election and constitution of the Bangsamoro Parliament in 2022.

Among the BTA’s priorities will be the passage of important legislation such as the Bangsamoro Administrative Code, Bangsamoro Revenue Code, Bangsamoro Electoral Code, Bangsamoro Local Government Code, and the Bangsamoro Education Code./lz