Tolentino stresses need of gov’t coordination for Sulu transition fund

Senate Majority Leader Francis “Tol” Tolentino stressed the importance of coordination among various government bodies to ensure that the needs of Sulu are addressed. The senator has been lobbying for the creation of a Sulu transition fund, following the Supreme Court order that removed the province from the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao. FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines – Senate Majority Leader Francis “Tol” Tolentino said that his proposal for the creation of a Sulu transition fund has reached the Office of the President and the Department of Budget and Management (DBM).

At the same time, Tolentino stressed the need for coordination among various government bodies to ensure that the needs of Sulu are properly addressed – while also complying with the recent Supreme Court order that removed Sulu from the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).

In the senator’s regular radio program ‘Usapang Tol,’ BARMM Cabinet Secretary Mohd Asnin Pendatun assured Tolentino that the region’s personnel based in Sulu will continue to receive their salaries from September 16 onwards, noting that this is already allocated in BARMM’s general appropriations this year.

“From September 16 onwards, we will still release [their salaries] dahil naka-budget na po lahat. Pero mayroon lang tayong papipirmahan na document of undertaking, essentially explaining kung ano ang implication ng pagpapasahod, given the Supreme Court decision,” Pendatun said.

(Starting September 16, we will continue to release their salaries because everything is already budgeted. However, we will need them to sign a document of undertaking, essentially explaining the implications of disbursing salaries in light of the Supreme Court decision.)

READ: Tolentino brings up fiscal problem for Sulu province following SC ruling

Tolentino welcomed the development, and also suggested that the BARMM duly advise the Commission on Audit (COA) on its actions to avoid possible complications.

In response, Pendatun said that the BARMM leadership had been referring to Tolentino’s statements in the Senate to guide their handling of the matter, pending a clear directive coming from the national government.

Pendatun shared that under the block grant given to BARMM, about P9.08 billion is allocated for Sulu province. He added that the BARMM leadership, while saddened by the decision, is studying possible ways to intervene in the SC case.

To recall, it was Tolentino who first raised in plenary the administrative and fiscal implications of the High Court’s ruling on Sulu’s removal from BARMM. Also, he has consistently asked government agencies to bare their plans to assist the province during the committee deliberations on the proposed 2025 budget.

The DBM has committed that it will soon release a directive in relation to Tolentino’s proposal. This was during last week’s Senate hearing on the proposed budget for 2025 of the Department of the Interior and Local Government.