Gains of BARMM highlighted in 5th anniversary feast

COTABATO CITY — Personnel of regional agencies commemorated on Sunday the fifth founding anniversary of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, proud of what is for them markedly visible dividends it has gained from its security and economic initiatives since.

The BARMM replaced via a plebiscite in February 2019 the then 27-year Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao as a result of 22 years of peace talks between Malacañang and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), whose leader, Ahod Ebrahim, is now chief minister of the region.

BARMM’s labor minister, Muslimin Sema, who is chairman of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF), told reporters on Sunday that what is good now is that both erstwhile rebel groups, that have separate peace compacts with Malacañang, are cooperating in managing the peace and development programs of the BARMM government.

“Virtually, the BARMM is still infant but already has something to show particularly in terms of expansion of services to the Moro people, the non-Moro Christians and the indigenous people in its core territory,” Sema said.

Members of the 80-seat BARMM parliament, among them Deputy Speaker Nabil Alfad Tan, the lawyers Paisalin Pangandaman Tago and Suharto Mastura Ambolodto and the physician-ophthalmologist Kadil Monera Sinolinding Jr. separately told reporters via Facebook Messenger that the region’s law-making body had passed laws needed to improve commerce and trade in the six Bangsamoro provinces. These include Maguindanao del Sur, Maguindanao del Norte, Lanao del Sur, Basilan, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi.

“Personally, I believe that the national officials of member-states of the OIC (Organization of Islamic Cooperation) that brokered Malacañang’s separate peace compacts with the MNLF and the MILF are glad seeing how the BARMM government is trying its best to make its six provinces become progressive,” Tago, who is concurrent regional transportation and communications minister, said.

The OIC, a bloc of more than 50 Muslim states, including petroleum-exporting countries in the Middle East and North Africa, helped facilitate the crafting of Malacañang's Sept. 2, 1996 final truce with the MNLF and its two compacts