Opinion: Optimistic about BARMM and its future directions

Opinion piece in the Manila Times (May 14, 2023): Optimistic about BARMM and its future directions (By Dr. Pilar “Lalay” Ramos Jimenez)

SOME colleagues and relatives have asked me recently about the progress of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) transition government. With a pessimistic tone, a friend also raised the following question: "Is it going to be another failed experiment like the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM)?" My frequent replies to these queries are: The region is OK, it's moving forward, and I am optimistic that it will succeed in meeting its goals and agenda of establishing the necessary structures, legislation, policies and programs when its three-year extension period ends, in time to participate peacefully and democratically in the country's next national and local elections in May 2025. I have some evidence that supports my optimism.

A law (Republic Act 11593) was signed in October 2021 by then-president Rodrigo extending the term of Bangsamoro's transition government from June 2022 to May 2025. The extension was largely attributed to the unexpected deleterious effects of Covid-19 on all social institutions and on the people's mobility in the region, which resulted in the non-completion of many commitments and important legislations, especially the electoral code, which is crucial in holding the first election of parliament members in May 2022.

When you open the websites or Facebooks of the different BARMM ministries and agencies, you will find that they are now actively catching up to implement their plans and programs. In my April 30 column, for example, I wrote about the launching of the Ministry of Transportation and Communication's (MoTC) first roll on-roll off (RoRo) shipping route from Maguindanao to Basilan. This is part of the BARMM's transport network roadmap that was recently crafted by the MoTC in partnership with Mindanao Development Authority with technical support from USAid-Regulatory Reform Support Program for National Development (Respond). The Bangsamoro interim parliament has also approved important bills that were signed into law by the chief minister. I will focus my column on this regional body because of its critical role in guiding the BARMM's future direction.

The three-year extension of the Bangsamoro transition government brought some positive changes in the interim parliament's membership. Of the 80 members of parliament (MPs), 49 are re-appointees, while 31 are new. Forty-one appointees were recommended by the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), while 39 were chosen by the national government. The MPs' selection was done carefully by the national government and the MILF. Work experience, competencies and potential contributions in achieving the parliament's goals in the next 33 months were the major criteria in choosing the MPs.

The current composition of the interim parliament includes the youth, middle-aged and senior leaders of the region's three major ethnicities, i.e., the Moro, non-Moro Indigenous people and migrant settlers. It comprises former MILF combatants and peace agreement negotiators, lawyers, doctors, economists, engineers, an architect, teachers, finance consultants, business people, current and former regional and local government officials, political analysts, leaders of religious groups, nongovernment organizations and youth organizations. Fifteen percent of the MPs are women of varying professions. Children of the leaders of the Moro National Liberation Front and the MILF are some of the young members of this government entity. I think their inclusion is a very good strategy to foster continuing peace, unity and progress in the region, especially for the present and future generations.

It is also heartening to learn that the interim parliament's speaker is obtaining assistance from young people, particularly from the Bangsamoro Transition Authority's Statutory Committees Support Service (SCSS), in supervising the body's 16 legislative committees. The SCSS is composed of 50 energetic and dedicated young and mid-level career professionals who want to make a difference in Bangsamoro.

From 2019 to March 2023, at least 35 (out of over a hundred bills) were approved by the MPs and signed into law by the chief minister. These include priority codes, creation of offices and their functions, appropriations, signs and symbols, and other areas. There are four priority codes, particularly the "Administrative Code" (Bangsamoro Autonomy Act or BAA 13), the "Civil Service Code" (BAA 17), the "Education Code" (BAA 18) and the much-awaited "Electoral Code" (BAA 29). I learned that during the visit of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.

Last year, Chief Minister Ahod Ebrahim pledged that the Bangsamoro Electoral Code would be completed in the first quarter of 2023. The MPs were determined to finish the bill as promised.

It was reported that they eventually approved this bill two minutes before midnight on March 8, 2023. This was subsequently signed into a law the following day by the chief minister. It will be effective for implementation 15 days after the signing.

The 62-page Electoral Code is quite comprehensive because it covers the structural, functional and procedural principles in the election of the MPs, local and barangay (village) officials. It has 14 articles, which cover the: a) electoral office; b) the different bureaus; c) the parliament's electoral tribunal; d) political parties; e) elective positions in the parliament; f) election of the local and barangay officials; g) the electorate; h) election administration; i) election offenses; j) legal fees; k) transitory; and l) final provisions. I learned that 50 percent or 40 members of political parties will be elected by all the voters in the region to the parliament, while 40 percent or 32 individuals will be chosen by voters of designated districts; and 10 percent or eight will be sectoral members of accredited organizations of non-Moro Indigenous people, the youth, women and people with disability. They will be recommended by the MPs, and their appointments will be signed by the chief minister.

The transition government has two years of preparatory work to implement a peaceful and democratic election in May 2025. I think the Electoral Code provides a detailed framework to enable the BTA to carry out this task successfully.

At present, the MPs are reviewing 33 bills, which are "proposed Cabinet legislative agenda" or priority bills authored by the Government of the Day. There are also over 100 bills that are submitted by individuals of varying interests. These ongoing dynamic efforts at the interim parliament alongside many simultaneous activities at the various ministries and agencies are backing up my optimism that the transition government will successfully meet its commitments to the Bangsamoro people and the country. I am certain that there will be challenges along the way, but they will be able to address them with the support of their partners from the national and local government units, the development world and the constituency.

https://www.manilatimes.net/2023/05/14/opinion/columns/optimistic-about-barmm-and-its-future-directions/1891373