SEAT OF POWER The Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao Government Center in Cotabato City houses the offices of the members of the Bangsamoro Transition Authority. —PHOTO COURTESY OF THE BANGSAMORO INFORMATION OFFICE
KORONADAL CITY — President Rodrigo Duterte signed on Thursday Republic Act No. 11593 resetting the regional parliamentary elections in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) from 2022 to 2025.
With the polls postponed, the law prescribes that the 80-member Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA) will continue as the interim government of the BARMM, as also provided in the Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL).
The measure also gives the President the option to appoint new BTA members who will serve until June 30, 2025, when the first set of elected parliament members assumes office.
BARMM Cabinet Secretary Mohammad Asnin Pendatun shared on Friday a copy of RA 11593 on social media. A copy, however, has yet to be posted on the Official Gazette.
The BOL set the first regional parliamentary election in 2022, synchronized with the national and local elections, but BTA members asked Mr. Duterte and Congress to give it three more years to complete laying down the strong foundations for effective autonomy.
Bangsamoro interim Chief Minister Ahod “Al Haj Murad” Ebrahim, Maguindanao Rep. Esmael Mangudadatu and other BARMM officials thanked Mr. Duterte for the extended transition time.
Strong bureaucracy
“The call toward extending the transition period of the new political entity speaks [of] the desire of our people in making sure that we have a strong regional bureaucracy that can address our decadeslong challenges and make sure that a brighter future awaits them—free from corruption, free from manipulation and from any ills of government,” Ebrahim said.
Mangudadatu, principal author of the House version of the legislation, also thanked those who supported the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB) signed by the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) in 2014 after 17 years of negotiations.
“This measure is a step to ensure that the peace agreement will be implemented for the welfare of the entire Bangsamoro and the Philippines,” he said in a statement in Filipino.
The CAB called for, among others, redoing the Moro autonomy setup, giving it greater governance powers. The current BTA is composed of 41 nominees from the MILF and 39 from the government.
Interim parliament Deputy Speaker Omar Yasser Sema told the Inquirer on Friday that he expected the President to forgo a revamp of the current BTA “in the spirit of continuity.”
Settle MNLF issue
“The extension was premised on giving the BTA more time to finish its work. However, if President Duterte sees it fit, we yield to his wisdom,” said Sema, who comes from the ranks of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF).
He said a reorganized BTA will be a chance “to foreclose all remaining issues” bugging the peace process between the government and the MNLF, “especially if the group of Nur Misuari is brought into the transition mechanism.”
Misuari signed for the MNLF a peace pact with the government in 1996 although its implementation has been snagged by various issues that remain unresolved to this day.
Sema said these issues could be harmonized into the extended Bangsamoro transition. —WITH A REPORT FROM RYAN D. ROSAURO