Galvez: Sulu integral part of peace process

PEACE BUILDING Presidential Peace Adviser Carlito Galvez Jr. confers with Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao interim Chief Minister Ahod “Al Haj Murad” Ebrahim during a ceremony commemorating the 10th year of the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro on March 27 at Camp Darapanan in Sultan Kudarat, Maguindanao del Norte. —Photo courtesy of OPAPRU

COTABATO CITY, BARMM, Philippines — Presidential Peace Adviser Carlito Galvez Jr. has assured the people of Sulu that they will continue to be an integral part of the Bangsamoro peace process regardless of their province’s exclusion in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).

Galvez issued the assurance before a hearing of the House committee on suffrage and electoral reforms on Wednesday, a day after the Supreme Court ruled with finality that the province of Sulu is excluded from the BARMM owing to its rejection of the Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL) in the 2019 plebiscite.

“The role of the Tausug people in sparking the Bangsamoro people’s quest for self-determination is an undeniable part of the Bangsamoro’s history. In light of the high court’s decision, we reassure the people of Sulu that they are and will always be an integral part of the Bangsamoro peace process,” Galvez said.

READ: SC denies motions to reverse ruling separating Sulu from BARMM

“The dividends of peace being enjoyed by Bangsamoro provinces will likewise be felt by neighboring areas, including the province of Sulu. In other words, your honors, whether Sulu is part of the BARMM or not, they will always be part of the Bangsamoro peace process,” he added.

With the ruling becoming final, House Deputy Minority Leader and Basilan Rep. Mujiv Hataman urged the national government to ensure funding for essential services to the people that will no longer be financially supported by the BARMM.

New election schedule

Citing BARMM data, Hataman said that would be around P9 billion for 2025. He also urged the national government to involve local officials in determining the immediate priorities for Sulu.

On Wednesday, the House committee on suffrage and electoral reforms also finalized its decision to reset the BARMM’s parliamentary elections from May 12 next year to May 11, 2026.

A substitute bill for House Bill Nos. 4213, 4220 and 11034, will amend a section of the BOL that sets the regional polls to 2025, to coincide with the national and local elections.

But the new version of the amendment as approved by the House panel chaired by Mt. Province Rep. Maximo Dalog Jr. sets it to 2026 and every three years thereafter, which makes the regional polls a separate political exercise from that for the rest of the country.

The substitute bill further provides: “Upon effectivity of this Act, the President shall appoint the 80 new interim members of the Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA) who shall serve until their successors shall have been elected and qualified. The term of the present duly constituted BTA in the BARMM shall be deemed expired.”

Compromise

Just before the committee decided on the question, BARMM interim Chief Minister Ahod “Al Haj Murad” Ebrahim lobbied to reset the polls to 2027, a compromise between the House proposal and that of the BTA parliament that wants it done in 2028.

Ebrahim, who was on a video call, said that during a discussion with President Marcos and Senate President Francis Escudero, both leaders agreed on the need for more time to effect the legal adjustments owing to Sulu’s exit from the BARMM.

But he said the President “wants it extended but not reaching 2028.”

Ebrahim also asked that with the polls finally reset, the current BTA members should remain in order to prevent any disruption to the flow of governance and delivery of services in the autonomous region.