The administration of President Rodrigo Duterte is “all-in” on efforts to bring peace and prosperity to Mindanao and will go “all-out” for the ratification of the Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL), which will be subject to a plebiscite to be held on Monday, Jan. 21.
This was the assurance given by Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles, who on Thursday spoke at the Grand Assembly for the BOL at the MSU Gymnasium in Patikul, Sulu.
Nograles, one of several cabinet members asked to deliver a “message of support” at the activity, stressed that the national government is “going all-in to bringing peace and development to Mindanao, especially to the proposed Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).”
“Like all of you, President Duterte wants this cycle of violence to end.”
“Like you and me, the President is a son of Mindanao. We all grew up under the specter of armed conflict and witnessed firsthand how this has claimed lives, crushed hopes, and destroyed futures,” said the former congressman from Davao.
“Like all of you, President Duterte wants this cycle of violence to end. He also wants the children of the Bangsamoro, the children of Mindanao, and the children of our nation to grow up in a country where Mindanao is peaceful, prosperous, and progressive,” said Nograles, who voted in favor of the BOL when he was a member of the House or Representatives.
“Kaya nandito kami, todo ang suporta sa inyo, all out for the BOL, because our President recognizes that this measure is one of the keys to unlocking the promise of Mindanao.”
According to Nograles, the BOL “will pave the road to peace, a road that will allow for the entry of investments that will lead to economic development in the region.
The BOL was passed by Congress and signed by the President in July 2018. It provides for the establishment of an autonomous political entity known as the BARMM, which will replace the 29-year-old Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM). It is the product of years of negotiations between the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).
Under the BOL, all existing provinces under the ARMM—Basilan, Lanao del Sur, Maguindanao, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi—will form part of the BARMM with the possibility of other areas such as Cotabato City, Isabela City, six municipalities in Lanao del Norte and 39 barangays in North Cotabato joining the region should they vote to ratify the law during the referendum to be held on Jan. 21.
“The BOL will pave the road to peace, a road that will allow for the entry of investments that will lead to economic development in the region.”
Contiguous areas where there is a local government unit resolution, or a petition of at least 10 percent of the registered voters, may also join the plebiscite for their possible inclusion in the BARMM.
The measure will pave the way for self-rule for the country’s Muslim minority, as the BARMM will have its own executive, legislature and fiscal powers. The Bangsamoro government will be headed by a chief minister and two deputy ministers, to be elected from the parliament—50 percent of which will be composed of political party representatives, 40 percent parliamentary district representatives, and 10 percent sectoral representatives and reserved seats for non-Moro indigenous peoples and settler communities.
All parliament members will serve for a term of three years and for a maximum of three consecutive terms. The parliament is empowered to enact its own laws, among 55 other enumeration of powers.
In terms of fiscal autonomy, the BARMM will be granted 5 percent of the national internal revenue amounting to at least P60 billion to P70 billion each year, which will be released to the region automatically.
The BARMM will also get a bigger share at 75 percent of the taxes collected by the national government from the region, as compared to the 70 percent the ARMM gets at present.
