DAVAO CITY, Philippines — Former combatants of the two former Moro rebel groups who both signed peace deals with the government can still apply for temporary positions in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), if they qualified, to truly maximize the chances allowed under the Bangsamoro civil service law, officials from the Development Academy of the Bangsamoro said.
Fairodz Taalim, chief of the DAB Center for Research and Policy Development (CPRD) Division of the BARMM, said only 77 former mujahideens or 16 percent of the 467 plantilla workers in the BARMM were hired under the Temporary Appointment System (TAS) provided in Article 305 of the Bangsamoro Civil Service Code.
The Code allowed up to 30 percent of its plantilla workers to be hired under the TAS to give former members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) a chance for a job, as long as they are qualified, said Taalim in an information release by the Bangsamoro Information Office.
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Article 305 of the Code provided that up to 30 percent of entry-level plantilla positions in the Bangsamoro government can be allocated to mujahideens and mujahidat regardless of civil service eligibility, as long as these positions are with Salary Grade 9 or below.
Abdul Khyr Macasayon, DAB officer-in-charge executive director, also said that TAS had effectively addressed short-term staffing needs in the region, although communication, career development pathways for temporary staff and transparency in the selection processes still needed to be improved.
BIO said this was among the key findings from the two-day policy study rollout held on Dec. 4 and 5 here, assessing the effectiveness and impact of TAS provisions, particularly designed to to provide temporary first-level positions to former combatants.
He said the findings would give them a chance to refine the TAS.
Farouz said among the former combatants who were hired, the highest number went to the Ministry of Finance, Budget and Management (MFBM); followed by the Ministry of Indigenous Peoples Affairs (MIPA), Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Agrarian Reform (Mafar), Ministry of Health (MOH) and Ministry of Human Settlement and Development (MHSD).
He urged more qualified former combatants to apply.
BARMM Chief Minister Ahod Ebrahim said an assessment of how TAS was implemented in the BARMM showed Bangsamoro’s dedication to cultivating an effective workforce while ensuring social justice and human capital development.
“Let us remember that our greatest asset is our people, and by investing in our human resources, we are investing in the future of the Bangsamoro,” he said