Duterte OK with possible extension of Bangsamoro transition — Galvez
MANILA, Philippines — President Rodrigo Duterte has conceded to the possible extension of the Bangsamoro transition period, believing that the current three-year transition period, which will lapse in 2022, is too short, Presidential peace adviser Carlito Galvez Jr. said Thursday.
The interim Bangsamoro parliament, in a resolution, asked Congress to extend the transition period of the expanded autonomous government for another three years — or until 2025.
Galvez said the President has sought his opinion on the possible extension of the Bangsamoro transition period, which he backed.
“I said to him (President), being the chief implementer, we saw the difficulty of the implementation of the normalization and political track,” he said in a House hearing.
“Therefore as the OPAPP (Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process) I recommended that the request for extension be given due consideration considering that the transition of three years is really a very short time,” Galvez added.
He also pointed out that the normalization process will be stalled for at least two years, considering that the country is facing a public health crisis.
Article continues after this advertisement“If we want this transition to be successful, we have to give our brothers ample time to lay down the foundation. Realistically we cannot achieve this in three years,” Galvez said.
Article continues after this advertisement“President Duterte also believes that three years is too short and he agrees for the possible extension,” he added.
Once Congress extends the transition period, the schedule of the first regular election in the Bangsamoro will be moved to 2025.
The Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), an expanded autonomous region created upon the ratification of the Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL) in 2019, is the outcome of the comprehensive peace agreement between the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) after years of negotiations.
The interim Bangsamoro Parliament has passed a resolution urging Congress to extend the transition period of the BARMM to June 2025 “to afford the Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA) sufficient period to fulfill its mandate.”
In passing Resolution No. 332, the Bangsamoro Parliament said that due to the COVID-19 pandemic, they did not have enough time to carry out the effective implementation of the transition, to include programs, projects, and services.
The transition will end on June 30, 2022.
