Duterte may let BARMM to have army

President Rodrigo Duterte on Monday said he might allow the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim MIndanao to have its own armed forces to crush terrorists in their jurisdiction, but warned them not to use it against the national government.

“When you are already evolved into something which is really a regional and if you have your own armed forces or police, I will allow it. You can arm yourselves but you know you have to kill the terrorists,” Duterte said in a speech in Cotabato City.

“Do not use it against the very entity that created you, which is government,” he added.

The President was in the province as he led the distribution of certificate of land ownership awards to qualified agrarian reform beneficiaries of the region, some of whom were former combatants of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front.

He also appealed to Moros to join BARMM, saying it would make development easier for people.

The President also urged BARMM leaders to come up with good policies to redeem its dignity, adding that he wants the “growing entity” to become a “functional regional autonomous government.”

“Think about the next generation of Moro. Either you establish a peaceful regional BARMM and leave those who have not joined. Let them suffer,” Duterte said.

Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo later clarified that BARMM’s armed forces would be supervised by the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Philippine National Police.

Duterte said he wanted the BARMM “to really evolve into something that is a functional regional autonomous government”.

“BARMM is a growing political entity. It has to be protected, it has to be enhanced,” Duterte said, hopeful that the region would remain “peaceful”.

BARMM replaces the now-defunct Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao following the ratification of the landmark Bangsamoro Organic

Law that is anchored on the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro Government inked between the national government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front in 2014.

Duterte also vowed to provide funds in the region before his term expires in 2022.

“I want the BARMM to evolve into something a functional regional autonomous government,” Duterte said.

The ratification of Republic Act 11054 in 2018 paved the way for the creation of the BARMM, replacing the 28-year old Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, which has a greater fiscal autonomy, a regional government, parliament, and justice system.

BARMM is composed of Maguindanao, Lanao del Sur, Basilan, Sulu, Tawi-Tawi and the cities of Marawi and Lamitan, Cotabato City, and 63 barangays in six North Cotabato town.

The region will have a three-year transition period and will hold its first election of officials in May 2022.

The 80-member Bangsamoro Transition Authority, led by the MILF as agreed upon in the 2014 Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro, has been governing the area at the present.

The ratification of the law also paves the way for the decommissioning of the first 30 percent of weapons and combatants of the Bangsamoro Islamic Armed Forces, the armed wing of the MILF.

A recent survey by the Social Weather Stations showed that 94 percent of respondents from BARMM were satisfied with Duterte’s work performance.

This yielded a net satisfaction of “excellent” +90 in BARMM, higher than the “very good” +65 recorded in the entire country and the “excellent” +74 in Mindanao areas that are not part of the autonomous region. With PNA