Allegations that the government is providing the Moro
Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) funds through the Sajahatra Bangsamoro Program
and the Bangsamoro Transition Commission is old news and have been proven to be
false, the head of the National Commission for Muslim Filipinos and government
peace panel member said Friday.
"We don't know where critics are getting all the
information that they have been announcing to the media, but we can certainly
ask the implementing agencies of Sajahatra Bangsamoro and of course the
Bangsamoro Transition Commission to send them the financial reports that were
submitted to the Commission on Audit if they want. All they have to do is
ask," said NCMF chair Bai Yasmin Busran – Lao in reaction to a radio
interview that alleged that the government is giving funds directly to the MILF
through the BTC and Sajahatra Bangsamoro.
The NCMF Secretary explained that Sajahatra Bangsamoro is a
program implemented by government agencies that provide services and other
development projects for communities in Muslim Mindanao.The BTC, on the other
hand, is a government agency created by President Aquino that is under the
Office of the President and remains subject to regular government accounting
rules and COA audit.
Government peace panel member Senen Bacani said the
Php100-million operational expenses of the BTC, as provided in the EO during
the body's first year, are subjected to regular government accounting and
auditing procedures since the body is under the Office of the President.
“In fact, we learned that the BTC even returned funds that
were not used to the National Treasury. If there are doubts, the Commission on
Audit is there to give us its audit report,” he said.
On the Sajahatra Bangsamoro Program, Bacani said that its
main goal is to provide short-term quick impact projects to the
economically-deprived communities and other targeted beneficiaries in Mindanao .
“The implementation and funding of the Sajahatra program are
all under the existing budget of these government agencies such as the
departments of Agriculture, Social Welfare, Health, Public Works and Highways,
among others,” Bacani said.
As to the future creation and funding of the BTA, Bacani
said that lawmakers can ensure transparency in its financial transactions since
the draft Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) is still in their hands for scrutiny. The
draft BBL provides for the creation of the BTA to oversee the transition of the
existing Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) to the future Bangsamoro
region.
http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=1&sid=&nid=1&rid=748330
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