Deputy Speaker and Basilan Rep. Speaker and Basilan Rep. Mujiv Hataman has lauded the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao for being hailed as the best region in Mindanao as far as good governance is concerned.
At least 28 of BARMM’s local government units earned the 2019 Seal of Good Local Governance Award by the Department of the Interior and Local Government, the fifth-highest in the whole country and the first in Mindanao.
“I congratulate all the local officials of the 28 LGUs BARMM for earning the distinction of good governance. It would be very hard to rise from the decades-old of poverty and war,” he said.
“The awards are well-deserved. We are glad that all the reforms we initiated and the hard work we put into it have really resulted in great things for our region. This award is for every Moro who dreamed of a better homeland and labored to get there,” he added.
“Not so long ago, Lamitan City entered the national limelight as a stage for war and terrorism. But now, it is the hallmark and prime example of human resilience overcoming great adversity. In 2016, for the first time in the 29-year existence of the now-dismantled ARMM, Lamitan City was the very first recipient of the SGLG in the whole region,” he said.
“And year after year since then, Lamitan City has earned the SGLG distinction. The Basilan provincial government and the municipalities of Maluso and Sumisip followed suit. We hope that more LGUs in BARMM will be recognized next year,” he added.
In 2018, 23 LGUs of the now-defunct ARMM received the award.
BARMM is the fifth overall of the country’s 17 regions, with only three in the Top 10. Region X is 6th with 23 SGLGs and Region XIII (Caraga) is 8th with 19 awards.
“As the people in BARMM celebrate this milestone, we are reminded that the work is far from over. We achieved our dream of a Moro homeland, but it is only the beginning. Now is the time to work even harder and build the best future for the people,” Hataman said. Rio N. Araja
Meanwhile, the Department of Agrarian Reform has turned over its functions and powers to the newly established Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Agrarian Reform (MAFAR) in the BARMM.
“We are confident that under the leadership of MAFAR Minister Mohammad Yacob, agrarian reform will be implemented in all of Bangsamoro and rural development will flourish. Our farmers are in good hands,” Secretary John Castriciones said.
The BARMM is composed of the provinces of Tawi-Tawi, Maguindanao, Basilan, Sulu, Lanao del Sur, and the cities of Cotabato and Marawi.
The DAR transferred the powers and functions of the department as stated under section 5 of Executive Order 129-A series of 1987.
Section 5 of E.O 129-A contains all the functions and powers of DAR such as implementing agrarian laws, making operational policies, acquiring and distributing lands, providing free legal services to farmers, approving and disapproving land conversion, and providing support services for farmers, such as access to credit and rural infrastructure.
Castriciones said the legal basis of the DAR’s transfer of power to MAFAR was Republic Act 11054 which provided the Organic Law of BARMM.
He said everything was transferred to MAFAR except the adjudicatory functions of DAR which was not officially transferred to the ARMM despite the passage of R.A. 11054.
“That’s why it’s imperative for BARMM through MAFAR to immediately organize and constitute an agrarian reform adjudication board similar to that of DAR’s,”he said.
The transition period for the establishment of the BARMM started after the enactment of RA 11054 through the majority of votes cast in a plebiscite on Jan. 25.
BARMM chief minister Ahod Ebrahim and members of the Bangsamoro Transition Authority took their oath before President Rodrigo Duterte on February 22.
Dr. Mohammad Yacob was appointed Minister for MAFAR and assumed office on Feb. 23.