Sulu governor Abdusakur "Sakur" Mahail Tan said on Wednesday, February 5, that he's sure that 90 percent of people in Sulu will reject returning to the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao's (BARMM) fold.
"I can assure you if you get 20 percent I will resign...But sigurado ako 90 percent of our people will say no. Ayaw na namin (We don't want to anymore). We want to be alone. In fact we don't want to be attached to any of the regions, we just want to be under the national government," he said during the hearing of the Senate Committee on Local Government.
The Senate panel chaired by Senator Joseph Victor "JV" Ejercito tackled Senator Juan Miguel "Migz" Zubiri's bill seeking to include the Province of Sulu in the 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.
In September, the High Court ruled that the province of Sulu is not part of BARMM because its residents rejected the ratification of the Bangsamoro Organic Law during the plebiscite.
Tan said that they'd be better off being allowed to develop their people and their province to be at par with the rest or even better.
"'Yan ang kailangan namin. Hindi yung parang pinaglalaruan lang kami. Totoo, that is how we feel now. Bakit ninyo kami pinaglalaruan?...Bakit kami kailangan pagdedesisyunan ng mga hindi taga-Sulu? ("That's what we need. Not like we're just being played with. It's true, that's how we feel now. Why are you playing with us?... Why do people who aren't from Sulu have to make decisions for us?)" he added.
For the part of the Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation and Unity (OPAPRU), they have expressed support for Zubiri's bill.
"The inclusion of Sulu in BARMM is not only a territorial realignment. It is a reaffirmation of the Bangsamoro people's collective aspiration for peace, development and self governance," said OPAPRU Usec. David Diciano of the Office for Bangsamoro Transformation.
"The OPAPRU believes that the Senate's measured to integrate Sulu in the BARMM offers the province another opportunity to continue reaping the gains of the Bangsamoro peace process and to benefit from the BARMM's institutions, programs and policies," he added.
But if a plebiscite would be conducted, Tan said that he would want all provinces to be included for the purpose of a fresh mandate.
Zubiri said that he only filed to give Sulu another chance should it want to return to BARMM. But he mentioned that his office will always be open to sponsoring a bill if a new leadership in Sulu would change its mind.
Ejercito stressed the need for peace as a "primary ingredient" to harness the true potential of Mindanao.
"Maganda ang Mindanao, mayaman ang lupa, maganda ang tanawin kaya lang naging 'Land of Promise' na lang talaga (Mindanao is beautiful, with rich soil and stunning scenery, but it has only remained as the 'Land of Promise'). We have to take action and do our part so that it can be realized," he added.