Tausug peace group supports extension of BTA by another 3 years; disputes stand of Sulu gov

COTABATO CITY –– While Sulu Gov. Abdusakur Tan expressed strong opposition to the proposal to extend by another three years the Bangsamoro transition period, a group of peace and good governance advocates in the province is saying otherwise.

In a statement, the Save Sulu Movement (SSM) called on the Tausug people to rally behind the goal of institutionalizing moral governance throughout the Bangsamoro region, especially in Sulu, as espoused by the current leadership of the Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA).

The movement said it strongly supports all the pending bills in Congress that seek the postponement of the regional election from 2022 to 2025.

“We recognize that the precious time of three years up to 2022 is not enough to implement institutional reforms that will truly weed out systemic problems of corruption, injustice, and grinding poverty that plagued the Bangsamoro homeland,” the SSM said.

The SSM said despite limited resources, the people of Sulu acknowledged the quick response of the interim government of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) to deliver the much needed basic services to Sulu, especially the timely relief assistance given to the fire victims at the Chinese Pier in Jolo and the medical help provided to the victims of the bombing in September 2020.

“We also commend the BARMM for its highly visible and exemplary response to help ensure that people will not starve during the COVID-19 pandemic by regularly distributing tons of rice, food and safety kits,  and medical supplies,” the group noted.

The group debunked the claims of Tan that the BARMM has not done anything in the last two years.

“This is utterly fake news that can easily be fact-checked with official records from the regional government,” the group said.

For the COVID-19 pandemic response alone, the Ministry of Social Services and Development was able to release emergency cash assistance to 111,453 beneficiaries with social workers braving conflict-ridden and critical areas to be able to reach out to the most remote communities including island municipalities.

BARMM has also assisted thousands of locally stranded individuals, returning overseas Filipino workers, and deportees from Sabah, Malaysia, and was able to construct a 100-bed isolation center in Sulu.

“In the interest of fairness, we deem it our moral duty to denounce falsehood and stand with the truth. Spreading lies is haram (forbidden) in Islam,” the group added as it called on the Moro people to unite at this critical juncture of the region’s history.

“The vision of moral governance and peace cannot be sacrificed to accommodate narrow political interests,” the group added.

LZB