Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque is certain that Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) stalwarts will comprise most of the members of the Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA) who will be designated by Malacañang.
Roque made this statement Tuesday, Nov. 2 amid the recent passage of a law that effectively extended the transition period of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).
"Ang appointment po talaga ng (The appointment of the) 80-man BARMM members is according to the law passed by Congress to be made by the President. So, hintayin na lang po natin ang desisyon ng Presidente (So let's just wait for the decision of the President)," he said, responding to a reporter's query about the possible composition of the body.
"Pero siyempre po, hindi naman po pupuwedeng sabihin na balewala ang magiging boses ng MILF (But of course, we can't say that the voice of the MILF is useless)," noted Roque, referring to the Muslim secessionist group-turned-political party.
"Sigurado naman po ako, mayorya ng mga maa-appoint ng Presidente ay manggagaling pa rin sa hanay ng MILF bagama’t mayroon din po iyang appointees ang ating gobyerno (I'm sure, the majority of those that will be appointed by the Presodent will come from the MILF's ranks, although there will also be appointees from our government)," he said.
Last week, President Duterte signed Republic Act (RA) No.11593, also known as “An Act resetting the first regular elections in the , amending for the purpose, Section 13, Article XVI of No. 11054, otherwise known as the ‘Organic Law for the .'”
The law deferred the first BARMM polls from 2022 to 2025, thus extending the life of the BTA.
Under RA No.11593, the Chief Executive is given the power to appoint up to 80 new interim members of the BTA "who shall serve until June 30, 2025 or until their successors shall have been elected and qualified".
The BARMM, created by virtue of the Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL), superseded the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (ARMM).
The BOL resulted from the close cooperation between the Philippine government and rebel factions such as the MILF, but not after years of bloodshed in the secessionist conflict.