@edd1818 | @bluestar0910 | SDN — Science and Digital News
By EDD K. USMAN
Short link: https://wp.me/paaccn-gTj
(SDN) — Incumbent officials numbering 81 of the Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA) led by Interim Chief Minister Ahod Balawag “Al-Hajj Murad” Ebrahim will stay on in their posts for three months more.
Meaning Ebrahim, who chairs the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) will be able to continue building the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region for Muslim Mindanao’s (BARMM) political, economic, and social development.
However, the hope is that Al-Hajj Murad as he is popularly known and the 80 members’ re-appointment after the May 09, 2022, presidential election would be made by whoever wins Malacañang.
President Rodrigo R. Duterte on February 21, 2022, gave the thumbs up following the Security, Justice and Peace Cabinet Cluster’s (SJPCC) strong recommendation.
“The status quo in the BTA will be done in the exigency of public service,” the Cabinet body said.
Comprising the SJPCC are Department of National Defense (DND) Secretary Delfin N. Lorenzana, National Securiry Council (NSC) Secretary Hermogenes C. Esperon, Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Eduardo M. Ano, and Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation and Unity (OPAPRU) Secretary Carlito G. Galvez, Jr.
In a press statement reaching SDN — Science and Digital News, Lorenzana, Esperon, Año, and Galvez recommended to the President the retention of the officials of the Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA) which runs the BARMM.
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“The SJPCC made the recommendation in light of the fact that only three months remain before the newly-elected administration takes over the reins of the government,” the Cabinet Cluster said, referring to the presidential and vice presidential elections on May 09, 2022.
“This period will provide the BTA the time to complete their crucial tasks,” it added.
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It can be recalled the BTA headed by Ebrahim issued an appeal through Resolution No. 173 on October 12, 2021, that requested the President to allow the body’s incumbent members to continue in carrying out their mandate aimed at preserving the gains accomplished under the body’s various programs, projects and legislative measures in their first two years.
The BTA through its Parliament needs to pass six priority codes such as administrative code, civil service code, education code, local government code, electoral code, and revenue code, among other codes for enactment.
Under Ebrahim’s leadership BTA will also implement the BARMM government’s 12-point agenda.
“Moreover, maintaining the status quo in the BTA will enable the incumbent President to focus on ensuring that the key aspects of the transition process in the Bangsamoro, such as building the capacity of the BTA Parliament and the (BARMM) Cabinet for good and accountable moral governance, are effectively carried out,” the SJPCC pointed out.
The Cabinet cluster emphasized as well that in maintaining the BTA status quo, it took into account the transition body’s appeal expressed through Resolution No. 173 issued on October 12, 2021, that asked the President “allow the allow the incumbent BTA members to continue carrying out their mandate in order to preserve the gains achieved under the body’s various programs, projects and legislative measures.”
BTA resolution also emphasized their appeal for a status quo “is being made in view of the diverse ethnic-cultural and professional background of the body’s membership; their policy advocacies and accomplishments; and the extensive trainings on governance they have received from academic and other development institutions.”
In relation with this, the BTA issued a second resolution on the same subject in Resolution No. 209 made on February 15, 2022, further appealing to the President to primarily consider re-appointing the incumbent BTA members who the national government nominated “as this will ensure a smooth transition process without the possibility of any political disruptions taking place.”
Of the 81 members of the BTA, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) chaired by Ebrahim nominated 41 nominees to the President at the start of the BTA’s life in 2019 and were all approved.
But keep in mind that any member of the BTA who is running for elective position in the May 09, 2022, national and local elections could expect to be replaced if they win.
The APJCC lauded the BTA for its accomplishments in its short life.
“Undoubtedly, the BTA has over the past two years played an instrumental role in uplifting the lives of the Bangsamoro people and unleashing the economic potential of the region. Given these major accomplishments, its current membership must not only be given due recognition, but must also be given the chance to complete what it has started.”
The SJPCC furthermore cited another reason for its recommending a status quo for the transition authority.
“By keeping the status quo in the BTA, we are not only building on and sustaining the gains of the Bangsamoro peace process; we are laying the foundations where genuine development and long-lasting peace can take root and flourish, and where our Moro brothers and sisters can look ahead to a better and brighter future.”
The BTA which runs the parliamentary Bangsamoro regional government was originally to cease its transition period of three years on the close of office on June 30, 2022, but upon earnest appeals from the BARMM leadership and supported by various quarters the Senate and the House of Representatives passed a law that sought the BTA’s extension and deferment of its first election this year.
Duterte signed the law, effectively lengthening the BTA’s life to three more years until June 30, 2025. Needless to say, barring anymore delay the BARMM will hold its first parliamentary polls in May 2025. (✓)