Murad pities ARMM employees

‘Wala tayong magagawa dahil yun ang batas’  

CHIEF MINISTER Murad Ebrahim, of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, or BARMM, expressed him sympathies for civil workers who were laid off, and urges them to re-apply.


“Wala tayong magagawa dahil yun ang batas, pero kung qualified naman kayo puwede kayong mag re-apply, at sigurado matatanggap kayo,” Ebrahim said during his recent visit in Sulu, one of 5 provinces under the BARMM.

BARMM Chief Minister Murad Ebrahim.

Ebrahim - also the chieftain of the former rebel group Moro Islamic Liberation Front - was referring to employees under the previous Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, or ARMM, who were forced to resign to pave way for the new administration following the 2019 ratification of the Bangsamoro Basic Law.

“Kailangan kasi maging magaling ang BARMM, para maayos ang ating sitwasyon at umunlad ang kabuhayan,” he said.

BARMM started “phasing out” some 6,000 ARMM employees in November 2019 after Attorney-General Elijah Alba announced it in October. And by end of 2019, only those employed in Education, Health, and Social Services sectors had been spared by BARMM.

Alba said those who were laid off shall receive their incentives. She cited Article XVI, Section 10 of the Bangsamoro Organic Law which states that the affected personnel who opt to retire or be separated shall be entitled to any of the following applicable incentives:
– 100% of the monthly basic salary for every year of government service computed starting from the first year for those who have rendered 1 year to less than 5 years of service;
– 150% of the actual monthly salary for every year of government service computed starting from the first year for those who have rendered 5 years of service but less than 10 years; or
– Two months of actual monthly salary for every year of government service computed starting from the first year for those who have rendered 10 years or more of service.

Alba said the first batch can start claiming their separation incentives by November 15 as scheduled by the Department of Budget and Management.

The same article also states that the “affected personnel who are retired or are separated from the service shall not be re-employed in any agency of the Bangsamoro Government of the National government, including government-owned or controlled corporations for a period of 5 years. The retired or separated personnel who are re-employed during the prohibited period shall refund, on a pro-rated basis, the separation incentives they received under this Section.

Governor Sakur Tan hosted the group of BARMM Chief Minister Murad Ebrahim. (Sulu Govt. Photos)

Ebrahim and other BARMM officials visited Sulu where they launched the so-called “Project Tabang” to help some 2,000 families in 3 villages in the capital town of Jolo affected by last month’s conflagration.

The humanitarian project is a collaborative service and assistance initiative, providing for those constituents of BARMM in need of government’s aid and intervention.

Sulu Governor Sakur Tan led provincial and municipal officials in welcoming Ebrahim’s entourage and thanked them for aiding the fire victims. Tan also hosted Ebrahim’s group in his house in Jolo.

Among those with Ebrahim were Minister of Trade Industry, Investment and Tourism Abu Amri Taddik, Minister of Public Safety Hussein Muñoz, Minister of Labor and Employment Romeo Sema, Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Mohammad Yacob, Minister of Transportation and Communication Dickson Hermoso,  Ministry of Indigenous Peoples' Affairs Melanio Ulama, Minister of Health Dr Saffrula Dipatuan, Minister of Basic, Higher and Technical Education Mohagher Iqbal, Executive Secretary and Minister of Environment and Natural Resources and Energy Abduraouf Macua, and Minister of Science and Technology Aida Silongan. (Mindanao Examiner)


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