Duterte forms committee to assist Bangsamoro gov’t

MANILA, Philippines—President Rodrigo Duterte has ordered the creation of a committee composed of Cabinet members to assist the Bangsamoro regional government.

Before he delivered his speech at the oath-taking of newly-appointed officials in Malacañang on Tuesday, the President announced that he first met with officials of the Bangsamoro Transition Authority.

“I formed a committee of just a few members of the Cabinet to assist them in building the structure of a BARMM [Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao] government,” the President told reporters in an interview.

According to him, Bangsamoro officials said they were experiencing problems on financial and liaison matters.

“First of all, there is the prompt remittance of their money because they have to offer it also. Just like any government office, you have to have money to buy supplies, to pay the employees, and everything. So that’s one. And second, there need additional officials [to do liaison],” he said, speaking partly in Filipino.

The President previously moved Manny Piñol from the Department of Agriculture to the Mindanao Development Authority, where he would also serve as “presidential point man” in the newly-created BARMM.

READ: Duterte confirms Piñol reassignment

According to Piñol, the government will need to invest about P1 trillion in the Bangsamoro region over the next decade if it’s keen on bringing peace and development in the strife-torn region.

Piñol’s figure is almost a quarter of the P4.2-trillion proposed national funding of the Department of Budget and Management for 2020.

READ: Piñol: BARMM needs P1T in next 10 years