Finance Secretary Carlos G. Dominguez III said the achievements of the Intergovernmental Relations Body (IGRB) would help guide the new administration to achieve the country’s long-standing goal of attaining lasting peace and prosperity in Mindanao.
During the presentation of its second progress report to President Rodrigo Duterte on June 16, Dominguez expressed the hope that the achievements of the IGRB would speed up the transition process of the new Bangsamoro government.
Dominguez explained that the IGRB has become an effective mechanism in promptly addressing urgent issues affecting the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) transition process.
“There was always trust and goodwill on both sides during the meetings. The progress made by the IGRB is a true testament to what we all can achieve together through close collaboration and strong partnership,” Dominguez said during the event.
The IGRB’s second progress report documents the achievements made over the 11 meetings held by this panel since it was first convened in 2019.
Dominguez thanked Duterte for making “the historic endeavor” of bringing genuine autonomy in Muslim Mindanao a priority of his administration.
“(President Duterte’s) strong support enabled us to move in a timely manner towards achieving the ideals set by the Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL),” Dominguez added.
He also thanked Iqbal, along with the Cabinet Secretaries of the National Government (NG), the BARMM Ministers and the IGRB Joint Secretariat for making every meeting of the body “meaningful and productive.”
With the report, Dominguez said they hope it guide the next administration in building on the significant gains that the Duterte administration has made and in driving the BARMM’s transition process towards completion.
“In the remaining days of the Duterte administration, we commit to continue working hard to ensure that urgent pending issues are resolved and the transfer of work for this historic initiative with the new government will be seamless,” Dominguez said.
“There is no turning back on our quest for lasting peace and prosperity in Mindanao,” he added.
Republic Act (RA) No. 11054 or the BOL, which provided for the establishment of the BARMM, was signed by Duterte in 2018 and was eventually ratified overwhelmingly in a two-stage plebiscite in 2019.
On Dec. 16, 2019, the members from the NG and the BARMM convened the first meeting of the IGRB in Davao City, demonstrating “the Duterte administration’s strong commitment to a fully consultative process” in completing the institutions of autonomy for the BARMM, Dominguez said.