Senator Juan Miguel "Migz" Zubiri has filed a bill seeking to include the Province of Sulu in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).
SB 2915 sets a plebiscite for this purpose and allows its constituents to once again vote on Sulu's inclusion, "now guided by the positive experiences that they have enjoyed over the past six years under the Bangsamoro Government."
Once enacted, within 120 days from the effectivity of this measure, a plebiscite shall be conducted in the Province of Sulu to ratify its inclusion in the BARMM.
He said that Senator Joseph Victor "JV" Ejercito will prioritize conducting a hearing on this bill, and Zubiri hopes that President Marcos will certify it as urgent since it's part of the peace process and is not merely a local bill.
"Hopefully we have a hearing maybe next week on Wednesday, we pass it, hopefully, I can take it to the plenary the week after and if it's certified pwede natin ma-approve on third reading before the break," he explained.
"We all know that the struggle for the acknowledgment and recognition of the Bangsamoro people started in Sulu in the 1970s in the creation of Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF)," he said in a virtual interview on Friday, Jan. 17.
"For them to be removed out of the BARMM, for me, is a step backward in peace," he added.
Zubiri is pushing for this in tandem with Senate Bill No. 2862 filed by Senate President Francis "Chiz" Escudero which seeks to defer the parliamentary elections in the BARMM in view of the SC ruling excluding Sulu from the regional group.
BARMM's first parliamentary election is scheduled for 2025, but Escudero is pushing to have it on May 11, 2026 to allow the region to reconfigure its jurisdictions as well as reallocate the seats of its 80-member parliament following the High Court's ruling cutting off Sulu from the BARMM.
"Hopefully we could pass this together with the extension of BARMM officials, itong Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA) by one year...'Pag pasok na na ang Sulu sa plebesito (Once Sulu gets included after the plebiscite), nothing changes in the electoral code," he said.
"So para when we have the election one year from now for the BARMM officials kasama na diyan yung seven members of the BTA that [is] comprised of the Province of Sulu," he added.
Zubiri said that this is the best way to promote peace in the region.
"Kasi kung magkaroon ng eleksyon (Because if there will be an election) this coming May excluding Sulu, we will disenfranchise Sulu all together," he added.
He said that Ejercito is already preparing the committee report and it's already up for sponsorship in the plenary.
"Marami na po akong nakausap na medyo tumututol noon, ay sumasang-ayon na po ngayon. Diyan po medyo concerned si Senator JV na baka 'pag ilabas niya po ito sa plenaryo ay madaming tututol at baka matalo (I have spoken to many people who were initially opposed, but now they agree. Senator JV is somewhat concerned that if he presents this in the plenary, there might be a lot of objections, and it could end up failing)," he said.
"I reassured him the other day and I'd be telling him na mukhang maganda naman ang feedback ng ating mga kasamahan (the feedback of our colleagues looks positive)," he added.
In November last year, during the hearing of the Senate Committee on Local Government tackling Escudero's bill, lawyer Omar Yaser Sema, Deputy BTA Parliament Speaker said that they are reluctant to redistribute the 7 seats left by Sulu despite the SC ruling.
Sema argued that while the decision is immediately executory, there's still uncertainty on their part since there have been times wherein the SC has allowed to reverse itself on an En Banc resolution.
"Kapag nag-decide sila na (When they decide) with finality probably that's when we can move. We will decide whether or not to reallocate because currently right now hindi kami maka-reallocate (we cannot reallocate) because we are still looking at our brothers and sisters in Sulu," he said.
"Hindi ho namin sila maiwan. Hindi namin sila maiiwan (We cannot leave them behind. We cannot leave them) by reallocating the portion that have already been given to them under the Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL) and under the Bangsamoro Electoral Code (BEC)," he added.