‘Government allocates P200-billion to Bangsamoro region’
Marcos
filed Resolution No. 729 on May 24 directing the Committee on
Finance to conduct an inquiry into the accounting and liquidation of the
Appropriations and Annual Block Grants allocated for the years 2020 and 2021 to
the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region, including the annual Special Development Fund
allocated for the rebuilding, rehabilitation, and development of
conflict-affected communities.
She
said under the General Appropriations Act (GAA) of 2020, the Bangsamoro
Autonomous Region was allocated an annual appropriation of P7 billion and an
Annual Block Grant of P63.6 billion, including a Special Development Fund of P5
billion.
In addition to this, under the
2021 GAA, the region was also given an annual appropriation of P8.6 billion and
an Annual Block Grant of P71.6 billion, and a Special Development Fund of P5
billion.
“Prior to the establishment of
the BARMM, the (previous and now defunct) Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao
(ARMM) was allocated an annual appropriation of P32.4 billion and Adjustments
of P7.2 billion with total available appropriations of P39.7 billion,” Marcos
said.
“Thus, as compared to the ARMM
appropriation of only P39.7 billion, the total BARMM allocation was higher,
amounting to at least double the amount of the budget allocated to the ARMM. Despite
these allocated appropriations, there is too little progress and change in the
BARMM,” she added.
Marcos said with the huge
appropriations made in the GAA for 2020 and 2021, it is vital for Congress to
determine the status of the projects implemented especially since the
Bangsamoro Government is still in its transition stage.
She said the Committee on Finance shall delve into the accounting and liquidation of the
Appropriations and the Annual Block Grants allocated for the years 2020 and
2021 to BARMM, including the annual Special Development Fund.
“It is also important for
Congress to be informed on the progress of the transition process,
implementation of programs and the proper utilization of funds, as well as the
reasons for delay which are not attributable to the dire effects of the Covid-19
pandemic and to determine other legislative measures, if necessary, to be
legislated by Congress in order to promote the long-term vision of meaningful
growth in the Bangsamoro Region,” Marcos said.
BARMM is made up of the island-provinces
of Basilan, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi off Mindanao Island. And two other provinces Lanao
del Sur and Maguindanao on Mindanao Island.
Incompetent
Sulu’s influential Governor Sakur Tan branded as incompetent former rebel leaders now running the BARMM who failed miserably to deliver on their promise and still asked to junk the 2022 elections and give them a three extension. Tan was referring to the Moro Islamic Liberation Front leaders headed by Murad Ebrahim, who is now the BARMM Chief Minister.
Ebrahim wanted to postpone the BARMM elections set by law and extend the term of the members of the Bangsamoro Transition Authority which violates the Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL).
The MILF signed a peace deal with Manila in 2014 ending decades of bloody fighting in Mindanao and this accord is also being used by Ebrahim to hold on to power.
Tan, in a part interview with journalist Christian Esguerra, said: “Well, to tell you frankly Sir, I want to be frank para malaman din nila that they are not competent. They have no competence at all to govern. The problem is they want to govern and rule, so mahirap, dapat wag sila mabigla at parang nagkaroon ng culture shock yata eh.”
“Yun mga consultants nila, with due respect, ay incompetent din at hindi rin marunong. How would they know if they have not even come to the province of Sulu? There are those who call themselves Tausug, but ask them how many times have you come to Sulu? How long have you stayed in Sulu? Where have you been? So yun dapat ang tanong sa kanila,” he added.
Tan said the former rebels do not have the capability to run a government. He said his province voted not to be included in the BARMM during the 2019 plebiscite and many sectors now are also opposing any extension of the term limits of the Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA) members.
“May mga manifesto opposing the proposed postponement ng BARMM, BTA elections sa 2022. These are manifesto signed by the governor, the vice governor, all members of the provincial board and 16 of the 19 mayors, the academe, and many more are opposing sa proposal nila (Ebrahim) to postpone the elections and to extend their term by another three years,” he said.
“Ang una ay may batas (BOL) na po and in that batas ay incorporated na po yung term nila sa transition sa three years, so wala kasing makitang dahilan, na yun magandang dahilan kung bakit kailangan i-extend, especially so na we feel that we should look into their performance after, what, almost two years or more than a year and they still have about 16, 18 months to perform. So hindi naman siguro dapat, especially so na sinasabi namin na they have been there for quite a long time at wala pa silang nagagawa. Dito sa amin wala kaming nakitang nagawa nila, yun BTA,” he added.
Tan said Ebrahim’s administration failed to uplift the living condition of the poor in BARMM and has no tangible project to show despite the huge amount of money they are operating.
“So una, kaya sila nandidyan ang sabi nila they want to help improve and develop not only the province of Sulu, but the whole region and yet we have not seen anything other than the P5 million they gave us to mitigate this Covid-19 pandemic, and they gave P1 million each for all of the mayors for the same purpose.”
Tan said Ebrahim has not even convened the Council of Leaders comprising all 5 governors and city mayors of the BARMM for a still unknown reason. He suggested placing Sulu under the supervision of the Office of the President so the province can move forward in terms of peace and development. Previously, Tan said they wanted to return to the Western Mindanao region which Sulu, Basilan and Tawi-Tawi were originally part of.
“I was proposing kung puwede kaya ilagay natin ang Sulu directly under the Office of the President parang i-pilot lang ba na kung gumanda ang sitwasyon sa Sulu and nag-improve at maging developed ay dapat sumama na sila (BARMM) sa akin ngayon kung talagang sincere sila na gusto nilang umayos yun mga kababayan nila, yung mga kapwa nila, kapatid nila dito sa Sulu, at kung hindi gumanda babalik na lang ako sa kanila,” Tan said.
He said his constituents and those in other provinces see bigger problems ahead if the MILF-led BARMM and BTA continue to insist on holding to power without mandate or elections.
“Sa tingin ko lalo tayong magkaka-problema kasi it will become an endless problem in trying to accommodate (the MILF) every time they tell us, and we feel like are we hostage? Sa lahat ng request nila na hindi tama or outside or what has been agreed especially in the BARMM law, are we hostage to these people? We do not have to accommodate all of their requests, every time they say this and they say that, we accommodate.”
“We should not be held hostage by whatever reason that they have. Huwag tayo magpapa-hostage sa ano mang grupo. Hindi tayo papayag. Hindi papayag ang taong bayan na maging hostage. Kawawa yung taong bayan. Ako, I will not allow myself to become their hostage and I will not allow our people to become their hostage. Yan po ay ipaglalaban namin,” Tan said.
Polls
Marcos, who chairs the Senate committee on electoral reforms, said postponing elections in BARMM will also mean a delay in developing the restive region and correcting the historical injustice on its people.
Under the law, the BARMM elections are supposed to take place at the same time as national elections in May 2022, but several bills in the Senate and the House of Representatives have called for postponing the regional polls to 2025.
Marcos said that full political legitimacy in BARMM can only be achieved after elections, saying, a balance must be struck between fulfilling the main purpose of the BOL and giving the 80-member BTA enough time to cope with difficulties in governance wrought by the Covid-19 pandemic and thus effect a smooth turnover of authority to elected officials.
“Given the purpose of this (BARMM) law, which is to rectify historical injustice - political, military, as well as economic - it is important that we conduct these elections at the soonest possible time,” Marcos said during a hearing of the Senate committee on local government in March.
“Decommissioning militants and weapons and achieving a normal way of life cannot take place without full political legitimacy, without inclusive governance, without the complete exercise of the Bangsamoro people's voting rights. The election has its advantages,” Marcos explained.
“Only after
elections will the BARMM be able to focus on normalization that has been
stymied by the pandemic, and to address the region's unique and difficult
circumstances,” she added.
The BARMM
elections can be held “months or a year after” the May 2022 elections, instead
of three years later, Marcos recommended, adding, while the BTA is still in
place, the BARMM elections will be under the control of Commission on Elections.
Peace Accord
Ebrahim insisted
that running the BARMM is solely vested on the peace agreement his group signed
with the national government. He said the peace accord was the basis for them
to continue ruling the BARMM. And that is why he and his allies in the BTA are
pushing and lobbying for the extension of the interim government. It would also
extend Ebrahim’s term and BTA members and those holding key positions in the
regional government.
But any extension
of the interim government would violate the BOL which the MILF and the
government crafted. Under the BOL, the BTA will be dissolved once the new
parliament is formed after the first regular elections in BARMM in 2022 and any
extension in the BTA’s term would require congressional approval. (Mindanao
Examiner)
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