By Ali Macabalang
COTABATO CITY – Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao Governor Mujiv Hataman has announced his intention not to serve in the interim body that would manage the transition of the autonomous governments to the incoming Bangsamoro governance once Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL) is ratified in the January 21, 2019 plebsicite.
Regional Governor –ARMM Mujiv Hataman
Credit: ARMM Bureau of Public Information via Facebook / MANILA BULLETIN
“I have already made up my mind (not to be part of the transition body)…I want to focus on my candidacy for the lone Congressional seat in Basilan…Anyway, I still can held even if I am in the outside,” Hataman told reporters here after delivering his farewell message capping off the 29th ARMM foundation anniversary celebration last Monday.
Republic Act (RA) 11054, known as the Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL), contains a provision allowing the 24 elected officials of ARMM, including Hataman, to be members of the transition body until their elective terms elapses on June 30, 2019. It was passed by the 17th Congress and enacted by the President last July to create the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) in replacement of the 29-year old ARMM.
Hataman said he was certain that the BOL would be ratified, saying that the plebiscite will to draw “majority affirmative votes” from the vote-rich provinces of Maguindanao, Lanao del Sur, Basilan and Tawi-Tawi. Sulu province will likely reject the new law.
Based on Commission on Elections (Comelec) records in the 2016 polls, ARMM has 1,863,230 registered voters, more than half of which are in Maguindanao and Lanao del Sur, which have a combined electorate of 1,118,758. Basilan, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi have 236,050; 324,543 and 183,879 registered voters, respectively, totaling to 744,472.
Hataman said Governors Esmael Mangudadatu of Maguindanao, Soraya Alonto-Adiong of Lanao del Sur, Rashidin Matba of Tawi-Tawi and Hajiman Hataman-Salliman (his elder brother) of Basilan have all committed to deliver the necessary number of votes to ratify the BOL.
“Granting that Sulu voters will vote against the BOL because of the petition of Sulu Gov. Sakur Tan II questioning the constitutionality of the law before the Supreme Court, the dissenting votes will be a minority”, he averred.