President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. pledged his full support to the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) as he recognized the vital work the interim government needs to complete in three years.
Marcos said this as he led the oath-taking of the new members of the Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA) in Malacañang on Friday, August 12.
In his speech, the President acknowledged the "great deal of work" that the body should accomplish in three years, from enacting basic laws and fiscal policy to conducting elections.
"Such important laws to be passed in three years is not an easy task, and that's why I will be here as head of the national government to support BARMM," he said.
Marcos likewise highlighted how the Covid-19 pandemic made it "very, very difficult" for the BTA to do its work.
"We are given another chance because of the extension of the Transition Authority. We are given another chance, but we have three years, and three years is not a long time for this rather basic and fundamental and highly important pieces of legislation that have to be produced now by the Transition Authority," he said.
The President further underscored the need to complete the work in 2025 as there will no longer be any extensions.
"In 2025, we no longer will have any extensions to the authority, and we will conduct elections," he said.
Republic Act No. 11593 reset the first regular elections in BARMM and would now be synchronized with the 2025 national elections. It also extended the transition period and allowed the BTA to continue as the interim government in the region.
The law mandated the President to appoint 80 new members who shall serve up to June 2025.
Meanwhile, Marcos underscored the importance of representation in the BTA.
"It is important that we're going to give a voice to all the stakeholders, to all the parties that are involved," he said.
"But I'm confident because I have seen the list of the new appointees, the new members, and I believe that everyone has come on to be part of this process with a sincere desire to get BARMM back into the normal fold of life in the Philippines," he added.