BARMM stability seen as interim execs keep posts
The wish of most, if not all, members of the Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA), the interim government of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), to remain in their posts until duly elected officials assume office has been granted.
This after the Office of the President (OP) on Thursday affirmed that the 80-member BTA will continue to serve as the legitimate governing body of the BARMM following the Supreme Court’s decision postponing the Oct. 13 regional parliamentary elections to a date not later than March 31, 2026.
In a statement, Malacañang said that under Republic Act No. 12123, since no election has taken place, “the BTA shall continue to exercise its full powers and authority during the extended transition period until new officials are duly elected or appointed.”
It added that under the law, the authority to make changes in the composition of the BTA during the transition remains with the OP.
“No formal reappointment is necessary, as current members continue to hold office by operation of law until replaced or succeeded,” the statement said.
It added that the holdover of current officials, who are all appointed by the President, “ensures continuity of governance, legal stability and an orderly transition in the Bangsamoro …”
A random survey showed that most of the current BTA members favor the extension of their mandate until after the next elections.
“We welcome the clarification on the status of the BTA issued by the Office of the President. This clarification enhances the stability of the region at this critical time,” said Member of Parliament Naguib Sinarimbo.
Democratic process
Deputy Speaker Omar Yasser Sema said members of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) expected the decision.
“We in the MNLF Sema Group were confident that the President sees the propriety of continuity and consistency in the transition process despite the setbacks and challenges,” Sema said.
“We are confident that the President is guided by the collective idea that the peace process is not only hinged on the conduct of elections but on firming up the democratic process with a constitutionally sound system and laws that will make the process credible and reliable, allowing true democratic representation … [This is] because the democratic process is now the instrument of the liberation fronts [in] achieving the Bangsamoro aspirations,” Sema said.
Their holdover mandate, he adds, means “that the President demands us to work, be present always and fulfill our mandate in the BTA until our successors have been elected or appointed.”
Top priority
The regional legislature is faced with the urgent task of hammering a law creating parliamentary districts in the provinces of Tawi-Tawi, Basilan, Lanao del Sur, Maguindanao del Norte, Maguindanao del Sur, Cotabato City and the Special Geographic Area, from where 32 of 80 members of parliament will be elected.
The absence of a valid districting law was the main reason for the high court to forego the Oct. 13 elections.
Newly elected Speaker Mohammad Yacob has vowed to make such legislation the parliament’s top priority to ensure that regional elections push through as decreed by the Supreme Court.
The BTA was created in February 2019 following the ratification of the Bangsamoro Organic Law in a January 2019 plebiscite. Its members are appointed by the President.
The first set was appointed by then President Rodrigo Duterte. A new set was appointed by President Marcos and assumed office on September 2022. A third set assumed office in March this year.
