BARMM governors send manifesto, letter to Marcos

Photo released by the Bangsamoro Governor's Caucus shows BARMM Chief Minister Ahod Ebrahim raising the hand of Sulu Governor Sakur Tan at the Regional Peace and Order Council meeting in Sulu’s Maimbung town, as Mayor Shihla Hayudini looks on.

SULU – The five provincial governors of the Bangsamoro autonomous region have submitted a manifesto and a letter to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr outlining serious security problems in areas under the Muslim provinces following a recent peace and order meeting in Sulu province.

The Bangsamoro autonomous region is ruled by Chief Minister Ahod Ebrahim, the leader of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) which signed a peace deal with Manila in 2014.

Photo released by the Bangsamoro Governor's Caucus shows BARMM Chief Minister Ahod Ebrahim with Governors Jim Hataman Salliman of Basilan; Sakur Tan of Sulu; Abduraof Macacua of Maguindanao del Norte; and Yshmael Sali of Tawi-Tawi during the Regional Peace and Order Council meeting held in Sulu's Maimbung town.

The governors - Mamintal Adiong Jr. of Lanao del Sur; Jim Hataman Salliman of Basilan; Sakur Tan of Sulu; Mariam Mangudadatu of Maguindanao Del Sur; and Yshmael Sali of Tawi-Tawi (except for Governor Abduraof Macacua of Maguindanao del Norte who was not in the caucus) - who launched the Bangsamoro Governor’s Caucus (BGC) on June 6, also reiterated their call for the postponement of the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections set in October until the decommissioning of all MILF forces are completed as part of the implementation of the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro.

As the region is still in the transition period after the ratification of the Bangsamoro Organic Law in a plebiscite in 2019, the Bangsamoro Transition Authority or BTA is currently the interim government in the BARMM and the BTA is composed of 80 members - majority of them are MILF members.

Ebrahim presided over the regional meeting - the first in BARMM - he convened after the governors held a caucus in Cagayan de Oro City. Adiong and Mangudadatu were absent from the meeting, but Governor Abduraof Macacua of Maguindanao del Norte was present.

The governor of Sulu branded the meeting, attended by senior police and military officials, and other stakeholders in Maimbung town, as “timely” to address immediately the growing concerns of crimes and violence within the Muslim communities.

“In a climate of lawlessness and violence, the most vulnerable members of society - the poor and the feeble - suffer the most when law enforcement fails to secure their lives and properties. These individuals also face the additional burden of displacement from their homes and communities. To ensure transparency and accountability, the governors submitted the manifesto of the BARMM Governors' Caucus and the open letter to President Marcos to the Regional Peace and Order Council,” Tan said.

“In both the manifesto of the BGC and the open letter to the President, the governors highlighted the primary cause of weak law enforcement in the region - the overlapping and unclear mandates of law enforcement agencies concerning the peace mechanisms,” he added.

Tan said the caucus was established as a platform to engage national and regional governments. The manifesto, he said, outlines their position on the issues of rule of law, peace and order, and inclusive governance and development.

The collective efforts of the governors in advocating for their shared positions on critical issues are driven solely by their genuine desire to witness the success of the BARMM and the peace process, according to Tan, who hosted the meeting.

Tan said he and the other governors are committed to supporting the peace process, the leadership of the Ebrahim and the BTA. Recognizing that local governments are constituent units of the BARMM, Tan said the success of the regional government directly translates into the success of the communities.

The governor of Basilan said Ebrahim is receptive to the manifesto of the BGC, adding he committed to convene the Council of Leaders, a key recommendation in the manifesto. He said a technical working group will be formed to study the recommendation of the governors to postpone the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections until completion of the decommissioning process.

The governors noted the increase in violence in areas where the MILF operates, especially in villages in North Cotabato province under the Bangsamoro autonomous region, and in Maguindanao, Lanao del Sur and Cotabato City.

Last February, the governors also issued a collective manifesto following the ambush of Adiong’s convoy in Lanao del Sur that killed three of his security men and a civilian aide. Adiong was also wounded in the attack.

At the end of the meeting, Ebrahim raised Tan’s hand twice in front of the huge crowd who applauded them. (Mindanao Examiner)