The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has assured that it will work with the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) in ensuring that government services and programs will continue in Sulu following the Supreme Court (SC) decision, which excluded the province from the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).

DSWD Secretary Rex Gatchalian made the assurance before the Senate Committee on Finance that deliberated the proposed 2025 budget of the agency.

“We took cognizance of the Supreme Court ruling carving out Sulu from the BARMM area…what we plan to do is to work with the DBM on trying to carve back the portion that was intended for Sulu’s administrative cost para mabalik sa Central Office and we can augment sa Region 9 (Zamboanga Peninsula) where Sulu will historically be part of,” Gatchalian said.

Gatchalian explained that the provision of assistance to beneficiaries of programs that provide direct grants such as Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps), Sustainable Livelihood Program (SLP), and Social Pension for Indigent Senior Citizens (SocPen) will not be affected since the cash aid are personally received by the beneficiaries.

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.

“As Sulu rejected the Bangsamoro Organic Law in the plebiscite, it was wrong to include the province in BARMM,” SC Spokesperson, Atty. Camille Sue Mae Ting, said.