BARMM to ask SC to include Sulu in region

Inquirer files

MANILA, Philippines — The Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) will appeal the Supreme Court’s ruling that excluded Sulu from the region, an official of the region said on Saturday.

In a news forum in Quezon City, BARMM spokesperson and Cabinet Secretary Mohd Asnin Pendatun said the BARMM will file a motion for leave to intervene with a motion for partial reconsideration as it is not a party to the case.

READ: SC: Sulu not part of BARMM

“We still intend to file a motion for reconsideration. Even the other party to the case will file a motion for reconsideration on or before Oct. 1. We are still hoping that it will be reconsidered,” Pendatun said.

Based on plebiscite

Earlier, the high court upheld the validity of the 2018 Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL) that created the BARMM.

The ruling was the result of a 2018 petition filed by Sulu Gov. Abdusakur Tan II who argued that the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao cannot be abolished without amending the Constitution.

However, the Supreme Court declared that Sulu is not part of the BARMM because it rejected the ratification of the BOL during a 2019 plebiscite.