The services of the Bangsamoro government in Sulu will continue amid the Supreme Court (SC) ruling, which excluded the province from the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).
“There will be no abrupt disruption of government services. It will continue unless a clear order is issued. For now, the service delivery in Sulu will not be disrupted,” Bangsamoro Spokesperson Mohd Asnin Pendatun said.
“Again, our primary focus here is not to instantly hamper the delivery of government services, be it through the status of our employees and the implementation of our programs and even the ongoing projects,” he added.
The SC has ruled that the Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL), the law that established the BARMM, is valid, However, it declared that Sulu should not be part of BARMM due to the outcome of the plebiscite in 2019 where majority of Sulu’s voters rejected the BOL.
“The Court ruled that the Bangsamoro Organic Law is constitutional because it does not make BARMM a separate state from the Philippines. The Law did not give it the power to enter into relations with other states, nor did it grant the BARMM its sovereignty. Matters of national defense and security, citizenship, foreign policy, and foreign trade remain with the national government,” SC Spokesperson, Atty. Camille Sue Mae Ting, said.
“As Sulu rejected the Bangsamoro Organic Law in the plebiscite, it was wrong to include the province in BARMM,” Ting added.
The provincial government of Sulu has yet to issue a statement, as of this writing.
In a statement, the Bangsamoro government said it has welcomed the SC decision affirming the constitutionality of the BOL.
However, it has raised concerns over the exclusion of Sulu from BARMM.
“Sulu is not only an essential component of the Bangsamoro by virtue of law but also by its deep historical and cultural ties to the Bangsamoro identity and struggle. The Bangsamoro will never be the same without Sulu and its people,” Chief Minister Ahod Ebrahim said in a statement.
The Bangsamoro government said it remains committed to pursue and explore all avenues to unite the Bangsamoro.
“We will carefully study the Supreme Court’s decision on Sulu’s exclusion with the commitment to explore all avenues to hold fast to the dream of a united Bangsamoro as well as ensure that the commitments enshrined in the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro will be fully realized,” Ebrahim added.
Meanwhile, the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) has made adjustments in the calendar of activities related to the conduct of the first parliamentary elections in BARMM following the SC ruling.
“Ang COMELEC en banc po ay nagkaroon ng ganitong desisyon sapagkat hindi po kami pwedeng mag-postpone ng ating halalan. Tuloy-tuloy po ang halalan sa Bangsamoro… sapagkat yan ay bilang pagpapatupad ng ating commitment sa peace process and at the same time, yan naman po ang ang nakalagay sa ating [Bangsamoro] Organic Law, na sinabi ng Korte Suprema na constitutional,” COMELEC Chairman George Erwin Garcia said.
COMELEC said the period and place of filing of the certificate of candidacy (COC) for district representatives in the BARMM Parliament is set from November 4, 2024 to November 9, 2024.
On the other hand, the last day for the filing of the list of nominees and certificate of acceptance of nomination with affidavit of non-affinity of regional parliamentary political party (RPPP) or coalition, which must be filed together with the manifestation of intent to participate in the parliamentary elections (MIP-PE) is on November 9, 2024.
COMELEC said the filing of COC for all national positions, as well as or all local positions, including the BARMM governor, vice governor, provincial board members, mayors, vice mayors, and councilors, will proceed from October 1 to 8, 2024.
“As to the question on what region the province of Sulu now belongs…the Commission en banc is of the consensus that Sulu should, as it originally did, belong to Region IX,” COMELEC said.
(With reports from Rgil Relator, GMA Regional TV One Mindanao)
