Based on the results of the plebiscite in Cotabato City for the ratification of Republic Act 11054 or the Organic Law for the BARMM, 36,682 voted in favor of the city’s inclusion against the 24,994 “no” votes, or a difference of 11,688 votes.
Cotabato City Mayor Cynthia Guiani-Sayadi early this year appealed to President Duterte to “hold in abeyance the turnover of the city to BARMM” and asked for a status quo until the end of the transition period on June 30, 2022.
Ebrahim stressed the need for the constituents of BARMM and Cotabato City “to find commonalities among our differences, to choose hope over fear, to choose unity over division, and to work together in co-creating the Bangsamoro — reflective of our shared stories as Moros, Christian settlers and indigenous communities.”
He added there’s a lot of work to do to realize genuine autonomy and to manifest the agreements in the peace process.
Cotabato City is the seat of government of the BARMM.[]
The establishment of the BARMM is a key component of the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro, the final peace deal between the government and the MILF signed in 2014 after 17 years of peace negotiations.
Four days before the scheduled turnover of Cotabato City to BARMM, the Department of Labor and Employment-12 (DOLE-12) on Friday formally handed over supervision and controle of its field office in Cotabato City to BARMM’s Ministry of Labor and Employment (MOLE).[]
