BARMM names new ministers

From the Philippine News Agency (Mar 15, 2022): BARMM names new ministers (By Edwin Fernandez)

NEW BARMM MINISTERS. Newly-appointed Cabinet members of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM)-- (from left) Minister Ubaida Pacasem of the Ministry of Finance, Budget, and Management (MFBM); Minister Akmad Brahim of the Ministry of Environment, Natural Resources, and Energy (MENRE); and Minister Datu Muslimin Sema of Ministry of Labor and Employment (MOLE), take their oath before BARMM Chief Minister Ahod Ebrahim on Monday (March 14, 2022). Ebrahim (inset) earlier asked all Cabinet ministers to submit their courtesy resignation to give him a free hand in reorganizing the regional administrative body. (Photo courtesy of Bangsamoro Information Office - BARMM)

COTABATO CITY – Three new members of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) official family have taken their oath of office.

Lawyer Naguib Sinarimbo, BARMM’s interior minister, said Tuesday Ubaida Pacasem was named minister of the BARMM’s Ministry of Finance, Budget and Management (MFBM), Akmad Brahim as minister of the Ministry of Environment, Natural Resources and Energy (MENRE), and Muslimin Sema as labor minister.

“The three took their oath of office before BARMM Chief Minister Ahod Ebrahim before the start of the first Cabinet meeting with the new set of BARMM ministers on Monday,” Sinarimbo said.

Before their new assignments, Pacasem, a lawyer-accountant, and Brahim were deputy ministers of MFBM and MENRE, respectively.

Brahim replaced Senior Minister Abdulraof Macacua as MENRE head. Macacua, meanwhile, remains as the BARMM executive secretary.

Sema, a former mayor of this city and current chairman of one of the factions of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF), replaced his nephew, Romeo Sema, a member of the Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA) parliament.

"I would like to thank the Chief Minister and everyone here for the opportunity to serve the Bangsamoro people,” the newly-appointed labor minister said in a separate statement.

Dr. Zul Qarneyn Abas was also named acting minister of the Ministry of Health, replacing Dr. Bashary Latiph.

Earlier, Chief Minister Ebrahim asked all cabinet ministers to submit courtesy resignation to give him free hand in reorganizing the regional administrative body.

After a review and evaluation, some cabinet members were reinstated and only three were allowed to go.

President Rodrigo Duterte has extended the transition period of the Bangsamoro government from 2022 to 2025.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1169792