Atty. Pangalian Balindong is reelected unanimously as Speaker of the Bangsamoro Transition Authority Parliament during its inaugural session on Thursday, September 14, 2022. Photo from Bangsamoro Transition Authority Parliament/Facebook Page
MANILA, Philippines — Lawyer Pangalian Balindong was reelected unanimously as Speaker of the Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA) Parliament during its inaugural session on Thursday, the interim government confirmed.
The BTA Public Information, Publication, and Media Relations Division said Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) interim government ceremonial head Wali Sheikh Khalifa Nando formally opened the inaugural session in Cotabato City at 9:26 a.m., September 14.
BARMM Chief Minister Ahod Balawag Ebrahim was reappointed to preside during the assembly.
Also elected during Thursday’s session are:
- Atty. Lanang Ali Jr., Deputy Speaker
- Hatimil Hassan, Deputy Speaker
- Atty. Nabil Tan, Deputy Speaker
- Atty. Omar Yasser Sema, Deputy Speaker
- Atty. Paisalin Tago, Deputy Speaker
- Benjamin Loong, Deputy Speaker
- Abdulkarim Misuari, Deputy Speaker
- Atty. Sha Elijah Dumama-Alba, Majority Leader
- Prof. Raby Angkal, Secretary-General
- Abdulgani Caludtiag, Sergeant-at-Arms.
Balindong said the officials have a big task ahead of them, noting that “[w]e cannot fail because our people have suffered enough.”
“It is only through our unity that we can repay the blood that our brothers and sisters had spilt in order to achieve their dream towards peace, progress and right for self-determination,” he said.
All the officials elected Thursday will serve for three years or until the first Bangsamoro elections in 2025.
“During the transition period, the BTA is mandated to enact priority legislation, including the Bangsamoro Administrative Code, Bangsamoro Revenue Code, Bangsamoro Electoral Code, Bangsamoro Local Governance Code, and Bangsamoro Education Code, as well as the Bangsamoro Civil Service Code,” BTA explained.
“Three of the seven priority codes, administrative, civil service, and education, have already been approved. The first parliament who served from 2019 to 2022 has enacted 31 bills and adopted 263 resolutions,” it added.
Earlier, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. arrived in Cotabato City to grace the event and witness the inaugural session and the election of officers of the BTA. The BTA Parliament is expected to reconvene after Marcos Jr.’s speech.
In his message, Marcos Jr. congratulated the interim government’s achievements but at the same time noted that there is still a lot to do.
His attendance is seen as a positive sign for the national government and BARMM’s relations, especially as concerns were raised after issues hounding Bangsamoro and Mindanao as a whole were not mentioned in the first State of the Nation Address of Marcos Jr. last July.
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