Saturday, December 21, 2019

BARMM govs, civil workers up in arms

From the Manila Times (Dec 21, 2019): BARMM govs, civil workers up in arms (ByAl Jacinto)

SULU: Muslim governors urged President Rodrigo Duterte to stop the layoff of civil workers in the newly created Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).


BARMM Chief Minister Murad Ebrahim

BARMM Chief Minister Murad Ebrahim started firing civil workers and hire new employees, mostly members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).

The BARMM has replaced the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), which was formerly dominated by people connected with the MILF. Ebrahim was a former top leader of the Bangsamoro Islamic Liberation Front.

Those affected by Ebrahim’s order went to Sulu Gov. Sakur Tan and appealed for his intercession, urging him to bring their concern to the President.

Basilan Gov. Jim Salliman, Tawi-Tawi Gov. Yshmael Sali, Deputy Speaker and former ARMM governor Mujiv Hataman, have joined forces with Tan in calling for the President to step in and stop Ebrahim.

“The laws are sufficient enough to protect the rights of the people including the right to seek legal redress from the court,” he said after the employees raised the possibility of hiring labor lawyers to look into their concern and to exhaust all legal avenues available to stop Ebrahim from removing BARMM employees, especially those who were hired under the previous administration of Hataman.

The governors, along with Interior Undersecretary Alexander Macario and senior military and police officials led by Lt. Gen. Cirilito Sobejana of the Western Mindanao Command, flew to Sulu on Thursday and joined the forum.

“We are going to bring this matter to the President. This is a complex problem now and it will affect our respective provinces in terms of the basic delivery of services to our constituents and the efficiency of the local governments,” Tan said.

Attorney General Sha Elijah Alba of BARMM announced the layoff of some 6,000 employees by yearend. At least 500 of them were already laid off since last month. Only those working in the sectors of education, health and social services are exempted in the phase out.

Those laid out by Ebrahim could not be reemployed in any BARMM agency.

Tan said he was ready to provide legal support to employees. “These poor employees are just exercising their rights under the Constitution and should be respected.”

Municipal mayors also expressed their willingness to sign a petition in support to the affected employees.

Another option being m Civil Service Commission and the judiciary.

Recently, Ebrahim hired hundreds of MILF members to work as forest rangers. More are to be hired and deployed in Basilan, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi.

He also launched the so-called Integrated Bangsamoro Greening Program inside the sprawling MILF’s Camp Darapanan in Sultan Kudarat town in Maguindanao province.

Hataman said during his administration, he made sure all provinces got equal infrastructure projects and funds for development projects.

But under Ebrahim’s rule, the governors of Basilan, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi have been complaining of not getting enough funds despite getting bigger fund appropriated for the autonomous region.

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