Duterte 'neutral' on call to extend BARMM transition period

From the Philippine News Agency (Jun 28, 2021): Duterte 'neutral' on call to extend BARMM transition period (By Filane Mikee Cervantes)

NEUTRAL. President Rodrigo Roa Duterte delivers his speech during the anniversary of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao held at the Malacañang Palace on Jan. 21, 2021. Malacañang on Monday (June 28) said Duterte is "neutral" on the proposal extending the transition phase of the BARMM for at least three more years. (Presidential photo)

President Rodrigo Duterte is "neutral" on the proposal extending the transition phase of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) for at least three more years.

In a Palace press briefing, Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said Duterte would let Congress decide on the proposal to extend the transition period of the Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA), whose mandate will expire on June 30 next year.

Roque said the decision was reached after Duterte's meeting with representatives of the two parties with differing views on the matter.

"Neutral po ang ating Presidente. Iniiwan po niya sa Kongreso ang desisyon kung sila ay magpapasa ng batas na pahahabain pa ‘yung transition period para sa Bangsamoro Transition Authority (The President is neutral. He will let Congress decide if they will pass a law extending the transition period for the Bangsamoro Transition Authority),” Roque said

If the Bangsamoro Organic Law is amended to extend the BTA's life, the body will last until 2025.

Roque noted that the side supporting the transition extension argued that it would be hard to conduct the region's first elections because they do not have an Omnibus Election Code and law for redistricting.

“Pero sa panig naman ng dapat mag-eleksyon, importante na magkaroon ng mandato ang lahat ng mga political leaders natin para naman meron silang moral authority to lead (As for those supporting that the elections push through, it is important that all political leaders have a mandate so that they could have a moral authority to lead)," Roque said.

The transition plan for the region is set to be completed in 2022. However, due to disruptions brought by the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) pandemic, regional leaders are pushing to extend the Bangsamoro transition phase until 2025.

Bangsamoro interim Chief Minister Ahod Ebrahim said the transition period was too short to implement all the provisions of the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB).

“Nakikita natin na very short iyong time na three years in order to restructure the government, iyong Bangsamoro government. Kasi po iyong Bangsamoro government is not like just changing of leadership, kailangan i-restructure natin ito (We can see that three years in order to restructure the Bangsamoro government is very short. Because Bangsamoro government is not like just changing of leadership, it needs to be restructured),” he said.

Ebrahim asked President Rodrigo Duterte to prod Congress to act on it.

For his part, Sulu Governor Abdusakur Tan said he is against the BTA extension since the law that created the BARMM provides that the autonomous region’s elections would be synchronized with 2022 national and local elections.

“Hindi dahil sa ayaw natin sa mga taga-BARMM or sa MILF, ang gusto lang natin ngayon ay magkaroon ng mandato ang ating mga opisyal dahil sinasabi natin, kahit doon kay Presidente na it would be very awkward na (It’s not that we are against those in the BARMM or MILF [Moro Islamic Liberation Front], what we want is for our officials to have mandate, even with President that it would be very awkward) for the BARMM officials to be governing without any mandate and maybe requesting us or ordering us to assist them,” Tan said.

Last November, the BTA passed a resolution urging Congress to extend the Bangsamoro transition to 2025.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1145223