Marcos to Bangsamoro Transition Authority: no more extension; election in 2025
DAVAO CITY (MindaNews / 12 August) – President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. on Friday swore into office the 80-member Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA), vowed support to the completion of its task by June 30, 2025 as there will be no more extension of the transition period and the first election of the 80-member Bangsamoro Parliament will be held in May 2025.
“In 2025, we no longer will have any extension to the authority, and we will conduct elections,” the Presidential News Desk quoted him as saying.
“We are given another chance because of the extension of the Transition Authority. We are given another chance, but we have three years, and three years is not a long time for this rather basic and fundamental and highly important pieces of legislation that have to be produced now by the Transition Authority,” said Marcos, who reappointed Ahod “Al Haj Murad Ebrahim, chair of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) as the interim Chief Minister.
Marcos acknowledged the “great deal of work” that the BTA must do within the transition period which was supposed to have ended on June 30, 2022 but was extended until June 30, 2025 when Congress reset the supposed first regular election in the BARMM in May 2022 to May 2025. The first set of elected officials will take their oath of office on June 30, 2022.
The MILF-led BTA is the interim government of the five-province, three-city BARMM during the transition period, as mandated by the 2014 Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro, the peace agreement signed by the Philippine government (GPH) and the MILF, and its enabling law, RA 11054.
The priority codes that the BTA must pass during the transition period are Administrative Code, Revenue Code, Electoral Code, Local Government Code, and Education Code. The BTA has passed the Administrative Code and Education Code. It has also passed the Bangsamoro Civil Service Code.
Marcos said they did “our absolute best” in ensuring that representation in the BTA is “as fair as possible and that is why I will be here as head of the national government to support BARMM in any way to get that settled and to make sure that we have an orderly and proper election in 2025 and upon electing our officials, that they have a framework, a legal framework to work within so that the government can actually function.”
49 reappointed, 31 new
Forty-nine members of the BTA were reappointed while 31 are new appointees nominated by the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and the Moro National Liberation Front’s (MNLF) Misuari and Sema-Jikiri factions.
The MILF-led BTA, now has 15 members nominated by the MNLF — eight by the Sema-Jikiri faction and seven by the Misuari faction.
In the BTA under the Duterte administration, Misuari did not nominate anyone from his group, opting instead to talk directly with his friend, President Rodrigo Duterte. Duterte stepped down on June 30, 2022 without having addressed the concerns of Misuari’s MNLF, even as they met several times in Malacanang and Davao. Details of the meetings were not divulged.
The 80 members of the new BTA comprise 41 nominated by the MILF and 39 by the government (GPH).
Among the new appointees to the BTA are Misuari’s son Abdulkarim and daughter Nurredha; former Sulu Governor Benjamin Loong; former Upi mayor Ramon Piang Sr.; former ARMM Executive Secretary Randolph Parcasio, former ARMM Health Secretary Dr. Kadil Sinolinding, Jr. and BARMM’s chief of the Regional Board of Investments, lawyer Ishak Mastura.
Several MPs are children of revolutionary leaders, among them the Misuari siblings who are new appointees, and reappointed MPs Abdullah, son of MILF founding chair Salamat Hashim; Omar Yasser, son of Muslimin Sema; and Albakil, son of Yusoph Jikiri.
Here is the list of 80 who took their oath. Bai Maleiha Bajunaid Candao, reappointed MP, was not able to attend the ceremony.
| MEMBERS OF PARLIAMENT | NOMINATED BY | STATUS |
| Abas, Akmad Indigay | MILF | Reappointed |
| Abas, Haron Muhammad | MILF | Reappointed |
| Abbas, Basit Sarip | MILF | Reappointed |
| Abdullah, Khalid Ma-Ampor Hadji | GPH | New |
| Abu, Mudjib Compania | MILF | Reappointed |
| Alamia, Laisa Masuhud | GPH | Reappointed |
| Alauddin, Mosber Entol | MILF | New |
| Ali, Ibrahim Dumaraag | MILF | Reappointed |
| Ali, Lanang Jr. Tapodoc | MILF | Reappointed |
| Alih, Eddie Mapag | MILF | Reappointed |
| Ambolodto, Suharto Mastura | GPH | Reappointed |
| Amenodin, Abdulaziz Mangandaki | GPH (MNLF Misuari) | New |
| Ampatuan, Baintan Adil | GPH | Reappointed |
| Anayatin, Susana Salvador | GPH | Reappointed |
| Antao, Mohammad Kelie Ugalingan | GPH | New |
| Arnado, Mary Ann Madrono | MILF | New |
| Asnawie, Dan Salah | MILF | New |
| Babao, Ali Montaha Datu Haron | GPH (MNLF Sema-Jikiri) | New |
| Balindong, Ali Pangalian Macaorao | MILF | Reappointed |
| Basman, Anna Tarhata Sumande | MILF | Reappointed |
| Candao, Bai Maleiha Bajunaid | MILF | Reappointed |
| Dilangalen, Hashemi Nur | GPH | New |
| Dumama-Alba, Sha Elijah Biruar | MILF | New |
| Ebrahim, Ahod Balawag | MILF | Reappointed |
| Esmael, Suharto Sandayan | MILF | New |
| Estino, Matarul Matarul | MILF | New |
| Gayak, Abdullah Ebdus | MILF | Reappointed |
| Guerra, Eduard Uy | MILF | Reappointed |
| Hashim, Abdullah Biston | MILF | Reappointed |
| Hassan, Hatimil Esmail | GPH (MNLF Sema-Jikiri) | Reappointed |
| Iqbal, Mohagher Mohammad | MILF | Reappointed |
| Ismael, Rasul Enderez | GPH | Reappointed |
| Jajurie, Raissa Herradura | MILF | Reappointed |
| Jakilan, Muslimin Asalim | GPH (MNLF Sema-Jikiri) | Reappointed |
| Jikiri, Albakil Dasani | GPH (MNLF Sema-Jikiri) | Reappointed |
| Kahalan, Denmartin Abdukahil | GPH (MNLF Misuari) | New |
| Karon, Faisal Guiabar | GPH (MNLF Sema-Jikiri) | New |
| Lim, John Anthony Lacbao | GPH | New |
| Loong, Benjamin Tupay | MILF | New |
| Loong, Don Mustapha Arbison | GPH | Reappointed |
| Lorena, Jose Iribani | GPH | Reappointed |
| Macacua, Abdulraof Abdul | MILF | Reappointed |
| Macapaar, Abdullah G. | MILF | Reappointed |
| Macasalong, Marjanie Salic | MILF | Reappointed |
| Macatanong, Amroussi Ampuan | MILF | New |
| Maglangit, Tarhata Matalam | GPH (MNLF Misuari) | New |
| Malik, Hamid Uddin | GPH (MNLF Misuari) | New |
| Mantawil, Baileng S. | MILF | New |
| Mastura, Ishak Veloso | GPH | New |
| Matalam, Jaafar Apollo Mikhail Lintongan | GPH | New |
| Mawallil, Amilbahar Saddalani | GPH | Reappointed |
| Mendoza, Froilyn Tenorio | GPH | New |
| Midtimbang, Michael Enit | GPH | New |
| Midtimbang, Tawakal Buga | MILF | New |
| Misuari, Abdulkarim Tan | GPH (MNLF Misuari) | New |
| Misuari, Nurredha Ibrahim Misuari | GPH (MNLF Misuari) | New |
| Mitmug, Rasol Jr. Yap | GPH | Reappointed |
| Munoz, Hussein Palma | MILF | Reappointed |
| Oranon, Suwaib Latip | MILF | Reappointed |
| Pacasem, Ubaida Casad | MILF | Reappointed |
| Pak, Abdulwahab Mohammad | MILF | Reappointed |
| Pangandaman, Nabila Margarita Pacasum | GPH | Reappointed |
| Parcasio, Randolph Climaco | GPH (MNLF Misuari) | New |
| Piang, Sr. Ramon Alejandro | MILF | New |
| Ramos, Diamila Disimban | GPH | Reappointed |
| Salendab, Said Zamahsari | MILF | Reappointed |
| Salik, Ali Omar | MILF | Reappointed |
| Sangki, Ali Balayman | GPH | Reappointed |
| Sema, Omar Yasser Crisostomo | GPH (MNLF Sema-Jikiri) | Reappointed |
| Sema, Romeo Kabuntalan | GPH (MNLF Sema-Jikiri) | Reappointed |
| Shiek, Said Manggis | MILF | Reappointed |
| Silongan, Aida Macalimpas | MILF | Reappointed |
| Sinolinding, Kadil Jr. Moner | MILF | New |
| Solaiman, Ali Bangcola | MILF | Reappointed |
| Tago, Paisalin Pangandaman | GPH | Reappointed |
| Tan, Nabil Alfad | GPH | Reappointed |
| Uy-Oyod, Sittie Fahanie Sindatok | GPH | New |
| Utto, Bassir Dimaukom | GPH | New |
| Usman, Adzfar Hailid | GPH (MNLF Sema-Jikiri) | Reappointed |
| Yacob, Mohammad Shuaib | MILF | Reappointed |
Women and IPs
Of the 80 MPs, 16 or 20% are women, among them new appointees Froilyn Mendoza, who represents the Indigenous Peoples; Misuari’s daughter, Nurredha; and lawyer Mary Ann Arnado of the Mindanao Peoples Caucus. Lawyer Laisa Alamia, former ARMM Executive Secretary and Social Welfare Secretary who headed the BTA’s Minority Bloc from 2019, and lawyer Raissa Jajurie, BARMM Minister of Social Services and Development, are among the women reappointed to the BTA.
Of the 16 women, nine are reappointed MPs: Alamia, Ampatuan, Anayatin, Basman, Candao, Jajurie, Pangandaman, Ramos and Silongan. The new women appointees are Arnado, Dumama-Alba, Maglangit, Mantawil, Mendoza, Misuari and Uy-Oyod.
Mendoza thanked everyone for the “overwhelming support” she and former Upi Mayor Ramon Piang Sr., received for having been appointed in the “mas pinalawak at inklusibong representatsyon ng mahalagang sector ng mamamayan sa Bangsamoro” (broader and more inclusive representation of this important sector of the citizens in the Bangsamoro),
The two are representing the Non-Moro Indigenous Peoples (NMIP) in the Bangsamoro, Mendoza nominated by the government and Piang by the MILF.
The BARMM has a Ministry of Indigenous Peoples Affairs. The BTA is also mandated to pass an Indigenous Peoples’ Code.
The historic event, however, was not seen by BARMM residents as it was not livestreamed by the state-run PTV 4 and Radio Television Malacanang. The transcript of the President’ speech as well as photos and the entire video of the ceremony has not been uploaded in the Office of the Press Secretary’s website as of 10 p.m. Only a 2.2 minute video clip from the RTVM and a press release from the Presidential News Desk have been uploaded. (Carolyn O. Arguillas / MindaNews)
