Thursday, July 11, 2013

Bangsamoro Transition Commission receives initial funds

From the MILF Website (Jul 11): Bangsamoro Transition Commission receives initial funds



Some P30 million was released by the Budget Commission to the Bangsamoro Transition Commission (BTC) recently.
   
The news was relayed to the BTC chair Mohagher Iqbal in Cotabato City. He was at the thick of preparation for the resumption of peace talks in Kuala Lumpur.

BTC has 15 commissioners, eight from the MILF including the chair, and seven from the government. However, they agreed among themselves that they will work for the common interests of the Bangsamoro who they are committed to serve.

Five of the commissioners hailed from Sulu (Abdulla Camlian, Raissa Jajurie, Ambassador Akmad Sakkam, and three-termer Asani Tammang), three from Lanao (Maulana Alonto, Akmad Benito, and Said Sheik), two from Maguindanao (Iqbal and Johira Wahab), two from the indigenous tribes (Melanio Ulama and Froilyn Mendoza) and one native Christian (Peter Eisma).

Maguindanao is the largest Moro tribe in terms of population, followed by Maranaos and then Tausog of Sulu.

The amount was part of the P100 million initial budget earmarked for the BTC to cover administrative and operation expenses from March 15, this year when the 15-man commissioners were appointed by President Benigno Aquino III.

BTC Executive Director, who requested not be named yet, told Luwaran that he personally thanked at least two cabinet secretaries, Teresita “Ging” Deles and Butch Abad for their help in making the fund available for the BTC, which had met thrice, first by government expenses and the other two shouldered by the Center for Humanitarian Dialogue (CHD).

He also thanked three personnel under Secretary Deles of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP) who helped the BTC personnel in the entire process namely, Antonio Florida, Louie Montalbo, Rosalie Romero and their entire staff.

He disclosed that another meeting of the BTC would be scheduled right after the meeting in Kuala Lumpur from July 8-11. The parties would discuss the three annexes (power-sharing, wealth-sharing, and normalization) which have been a nightmare for the last one year since July last year.

When asked for the immediate next release of the remaining budget, he said, “We are now starting to figure out our next move especially if the parties sign the three sticky points in the talks.”

http://www.luwaran.com/

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