Maguindanao Rep. Esmael “Toto” Mangudadatu has asked his colleagues to give its all-support to the transitional government of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).
(Photo by LJ Pasion|MANILA BULLETIN FILE PHOTO)
He urged all concerned stakeholders to “have more faith in the principled intentions” of the BARMM’s transitional government.
“These are truly difficult times. The nation’s economy took a beating from the advent of COVID-19 but the government and the Bangsamoro leadership along with the Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA) members, ministries, and offices were determined to hurdle and surpass these challenges evident to what they were able to achieve to date,” he said in a statement as BARMM celebrates its Foundation Day.
Last Wednesday, the House Committee on Suffrage and Electoral Reforms, the House Committee on Muslim Affairs, and the Special Committee on Peace, Reconciliation, and Unity started tackling several measures seeking to defer the BARMM elections scheduled on the second Monday of May 2022.
Mangudadatu expressed confidence that BARMM under the leadership of Bangsamoro Chief Minister Ahod “Al-Haj Murad” Ebrahim will keep fulfilling its mandate as provided in the Comprehensive Agreement in the Bangsamoro (CAB) amid the hurdles brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic.
He cited the Bangsamoro government’s approval of its Transition and Development Plans which provide the basis for running the interim government during the transition period from 2019 to 2022.
He also described as a “milestone” the establishment of the BARMM Full Disclosure Policy Portal, Job Portal, and the e-BARMM system designed to combat corruption through transparency and accountability and the continued decommissioning of thousands of insurgents.
Mangudadatu said the BARMM government is also proactive in addressing the threats of COVID-19.
He said necessary relief and support has been given to affected constituents and that protective equipment has been acquired.
He also hailed the BARMM government's procurement and upgrade of the medical and test laboratories, construction of isolation facilities, and its assistance to thousands of locally-stranded individuals and returning overseas Filipino workers.
“With these achievements despite the handicap brought by the pandemic, I believe, BARMM has all the strategic programs for the realization of a regional rejuvenation anchored on improving peace and security as well as spurring socio-economic growth of the region,” Mangudadatu said.
In 2018, President Duterte signed Republic Act 11054, also known as Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL) that created the BARMM. Two plebiscites for the ratification of the BOL were held on Jan. 21, 2019 and Feb. 6, 2019.