Basilan Rep. Mujiv Hataman. (FILE PHOTO)
Manila, Philippines — Basilan Rep. Mujiv Hataman on Thursday proposed to President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. to form a screening committee to vet candidates for Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA) to ensure members are chosen based on “merit, proven competence, and unassailable integrity.”
Hataman said BTA members, who will be appointed by Marcos, should be competent enough for the post, suggesting they be thoroughly assessed by a panel of “equally competent personalities free from any political influence.”
“Nais natin na masiguro na ang mga uupo sa susunod na BTA ay may sapat at angkop na kakayahan para matugunan ang lahat ng pangangailangan ng Bangsamoro at ng mamamayan nito. Kaya ang aking mungkahi: masusing kilatisin ang sinumang maa-appoint dito,” he said in a statement.
(We want to ensure that those who will sit in BTA will have enough competence to address all the needs of the Bangsamoro and its residents. So our call is: scrutinize thoroughly all those who will be appointed.)
“I suggest that this be done by a panel of equally competent personalities who can vet candidates for the BTA appointments independently, free of any political influence. We just have to make sure that those who will be appointed [in the BTA] will really perform the mandate of his or her office,” Hataman added.
The Basilan lawmaker emphasized that equitable representation should be one of the main guiding principles in appointing BTA members, saying all areas, ethnicities, and sectors must be represented properly in the BARMM transition government.
“Kailangan natin siguraduhin na walang madedehado. There should be equitable distributions of seats. Hindi lamang ito BARMM ng iilan. Ito ay pamahalaan ng lahat nang nasa Bangsamoro,” Hataman stressed.
(We need to make sure that no one is left behind. This is not BARMM for the few. It is a government of all of Bangsamoro.)
The amended Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL) enables the President to exercise his executive power to appoint the 80 members of the BTA.
The members were originally set to serve only until 2022, the end of the transition period for the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) government.
However, the transition period was extended, through Republic Act No. 11598, until 2025, essentially postponing the supposed 2022 BARMM elections.
Hataman earlier proposed a midterm review of the BTA’s previous accomplishments to check where the national government can provide additional support for transition initiatives.
“We must ensure that the mandate of the transition authority covers all the areas of governance that will best benefit the people of the BARMM,” Hataman ended. —Andy Hoo, Inquirer.net trainee