President Rodrigo Duterte shakes hands with Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) Chairman Murad Ebrahim during the Ceremonial Confirmation of the Bangsamoro Organic Law Plebiscite Law Canvass Results and Oath-taking of Transition Authority at Malacañan Palace in Manila on Feb. 22, 2019. (Photo by NOEL CELIS / AFP)
MANILA, Philippines — Even as President Duterte supports the plea to extend the Bangsamoro’s transition period to 2025, Malacañang on Thursday said the approval of Congress will be needed to extend the transition period to three more years.
“Ang payo po ni Presidente, kinakailangan ng batas iyan. Dahil ang batas po ng eleksyon para sa BARMM (Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao) ay nakapaloob sa batas,” presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said in a televised Palace press briefing.
(The President’s advice is that a law is needed. Because the election law for BARMM is contained in the Bangsamoro Organic Law.)
“So ang sabi niya tutulong siya para maamiyendahan ang batas na iyan pero kinakailangan talaga makipag-ugnayan ang mga taga BARMM sa ating mga Kongresista at Senador,” he added.
(So he said he will help to amend that law but the people of BARMM really need to communicate with our Congressmen and Senators.)
The interim Bangsamoro parliament earlier passed a resolution to ask Congress to extend the transition period of the expanded autonomous government for another three years — or until 2025— due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
READ: Bangsamoro seeks 3 more years for transition
Once Congress approves the plea, the schedule of the first regular election in the Bangsamoro will be moved to 2025.
The 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.
Duterte’s peace adviser Carlito Galvez Jr. said the President supports the extension of the Bangsamoro transition, saying that the initial period of three years “is really a very short time.”
READ: Duterte OK with possible extension of Bangsamoro transition — Galvez