President Rodrigo Duterte on Friday bared he was “extremely happy” with the symbolic inauguration of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, calling on the people to work towards building lasting peace and inclusive progress in the war-torn region of Mindanao.
In a speech Friday, the President acknowledged the support that the Moro people gave to the government from the creation and passage of the Bangsamoro Organic Law, the success of the BOL plebiscite, down to the establishment of the BARMM.
“May I just express in front of you my extreme happiness…that we were able to realize at least a part, maybe not all, but a part of what the entire country could have wished for the Moro people of Mindanao,” the President said.
“I cannot express my sense of gratitude to you for understanding, giving us the time to craft the law, and making it legal. We promise a new dawn for the Bangsamoro area or territory,” he added.
The President said the inauguration of the BARMM opens a new chapter in the country’s history, hoping that it will address “the injustices of the past and plot the new course towards a more promising future for Mindanao and the rest of the country.”
“This momentous event brings us a step closer to the realization of our decades-old dream of a peaceful region that is governed by the autonomous government that serves all Muslims, Christians, lumad, and other indigenous peoples, and every Filipino who also call Mindanao their home,” Duterte said.
“We entrust this responsibility to the distinguished members of the Bangsamoro Transition Authority [BTA] under the able leadership and through the vision of Chief Minister Al Haj Murad Ebrahim,” he added.
The President also hoped that aside from living up to its aspirations and principles embodied in the past peace agreements with different Moro fronts such as the Moro National Liberation Front and Moro
Islamic Liberation Front, the new Bangsamoro government would also promote good governance, transparency, accountability, and inclusive political empowerment.
“To my dear Bangsamoro sisters and brothers in the BTA, the power to chart the course of your region’s future is now in your hands. I trust that you will wield this power with utmost care, the future of succeeding generations of the Filipinos, especially the Moro of Mindanao, depends on it,” Duterte continued, appealing to the public to work for the benefit of all Mindanaoans and the country.
“As we mark a new chapter in our history, I call upon Bangsamoro to take advantage of this opportunity and finally correct the historical injustices and forget the bitterness of the past so that we may embrace each other as Filipinos,” he added.
Meanwhile, the President noted that “lasting peace and inclusive progress” would only be assured with the “smooth and effective” implementation of the annex on normalization. The annex, according to the President, includes the decommissioning of former MILF combatants.
READ: Duterte okays proposed order on Bangsamoro
In his speech during the event, Bangsamoro Interim Chief Minister Murad Ebrahim announced that the list of MILF combatants to be decommissioned was already submitted to the government last Monday.
“Mr. President, last Monday, the MILF already submitted the complete list of its combatants and weapons to the international decommissioning body for decommissioning, representing the first phase of the process,” Murad said.
The normalization annex, which deals with the decommissioning of the MILF’s armed wing and disarming private armies in the new Bangsamoro region, is the last of the four annexes to the CAB forged between the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front in 2014.
These annexes were initially crafted to serve as guides for the Bangsamoro Basic Law, seeking to end the decades-old armed conflict in the war-torn region.
On the other hand, the President expressed optimism that he could “fix” the government’s deal with the MNLF, led by its founding chairman Nur Misuari.
“Maybe in due time with the prayers to our Allah that we’d able to fix also the western part and I hope to talk to our brother Nur Misuari on the western side,” Duterte said in his speech. “I pray for success and the guidance of Allah in our endeavors.”
Three days ago, the Chief Executive bared he was “in a hurry” to sign a pact with Misuari.
The President has previously ordered Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana, Interior Secretary Eduardo Año, Presidential Adviser for the Peace Process Carlito Galvez to craft a new deal with the MNLF.
The details of the agreement, however, have not been released yet.
Officials of the BTA on Friday elected a former member of the House of Representatives as speaker of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao interim parliament.
Lawyer Pangalian Balindong, former deputy House speaker for Mindanao, will lead the parliament until the regional elections slated in 2022.
Earlier, Balindong was appointed by the parliament as deputy speaker of Ghazali Jaafar of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, who was initially designated as assembly speaker.
Jaafar, however, died two weeks ago due to a heart ailment in a hospital in Davao City.
During a special caucus of the BTA on Thursday, Balindong was unanimously nominated by BTA members to take the place of Jaafar in the parliament.
The MILF has 41 representatives to the 80-member BTA, who will work as part of the legislative body of the expanded political entity that came into being, as a result of the government and MILF peace process.
The election of Balindong came as the BARMM and BTA’s formal launch, with President Duterte in attendance, was set to take place at the Shariff Kabunsuan Complex here Friday afternoon.
Also elected as interim parliament deputy speaker was Hatimil Hassan from Basilan while lawyer Laisa Alamia was chosen as minority floor leader.
Maguindanao lawyer Lanang Ali Jr. was also elected as majority floor leader while Raby Angkal and Dan Dimakenal Caludtiag, would sit as secretary-general and sergeant-at-arms, respectively, of the BARMM parliament.
Earlier, Task Force Bangon Marawi chairperson and housing czar Eduardo del Rosario assured the public that there is no delay in the target completion of the rehabilitation of Marawi City.
In a press briefing, Del Rosario said the government is still on target with respect to its timetable for completion of the rebuilding of the war-torn city by December 2021, noting that it will be completed within the term of President Duterte.
“We have been hearing some critics that we are somewhat delayed in the rehabilitation of Marawi City. With regards to our timetable of completion, there is no delay,” he said.
“We are still confident that by December of 2021, the rehabilitation of Marawi City will be almost complete,” he added.
Del Rosario said early recovery activities will take about six months to one year, while actual recovery will commence a year after.
“Early recovery interventions on relief assistance, livelihood, health and sanitation, education, peace-building, shelter, and so forth were all undertaken from six months to one year,” he said.
The task force, he said, is expected to complete the clearing of unexploded explosive ordnance by August and debris management by September.
Meanwhile, road construction will begin in July.
He further noted that in cleared areas, residents will be allowed to repair their houses as early as July.
“Those whose houses were slightly damaged, we will allow them to rebuild, provided they will secure building or repair permit from the city government,” he said.
Del Rosario said that rehabilitation of Marawi City will be known as the “R.I.S.E. plan of the Marawi Rehabilitation” R.I.S.E. stands for resiliency, identity, sustainability, and evolution.
“There is no empty promise. We are moving forward and we are on track. We are not delayed in as far as the final rehabilitation will be completed,” he said. With PNA
