TACURONG CITY (MindaNews / 30 August) – With two months before the end of the transition period in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), the regional government has started crafting the Bangsamoro Transition Report (BTR), which will highlight governance and development, among others, in the region from 2019 to 2025.
The Bangsamoro Planning and Development Authority (BPDA), headed by Engr. Moharijin Ali, is spearheading the preparation of the BTR.
On October 30, the Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA) will end its mandate after the first set of regional elected officials are sworn into office. The historic parliamentary election is slated on October 13.
The BTA, the interim body tasked to govern the region, is composed of 80 members appointed by the President of the Philippines. The BTA or the Bangsamoro Parliament is dominated by nominees of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) with 41 seats and 39 by government appointees.
With the crafting of the BTR, Ali stressed that the Bangsamoro government is not just producing a report but “safeguarding the record of our shared sacrifices, achievements and aspirations.”
“This document will serve as both an essential institutional memory and a strategic roadmap for the first elected Bangsamoro Parliament in 2025, ensuring they can build confidently upon the foundation we lay today,” Ali said in a statement on Friday.
Senior Minister Mohammad Yacob said the report will stand as the official “chronicle” of governance in the Bangsamoro region.
“It is our opportunity to clearly articulate our milestones, honestly confront our challenges, and distill the invaluable insights that will empower and shape our future institutions,” he said.
Last August 18, the BPDA convened a two-day workshop in Cotabato City for the crafting of the BTR, which will provide a comprehensive framework and technical guidance for a seamless transition phase, ensuring continuity in governance, fiscal management, and public service delivery, and laying the foundation for the regular Bangsamoro government.
The report also outlines organizational plans, budgetary allocations, and procurement strategies, enabling the BTA to adopt or reconfigure existing programs and expenditures efficiently, thereby avoiding disruptions during the transition period and facilitating the establishment of a functional parliamentary system, the BPDA said.
During the crafting, the administrative, finance, and technical focal persons from every Bangsamoro ministry, office, and agency will be convened for the success of the report’s compilation and refinement of necessary data.
MILF chairperson Ahod “Al Haj Murad” Ebrahim led the transition government as chief minister since the Bangsamoro region was established in 2019 during the Duterte administration.
Last March, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. appointed Abdulraof Macacua, chief of the Bangsamoro Islamic Armed Forces, the armed wing of the MILF, replacing Ebrahim.
The creation of the Bangsamoro region was the key component of the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro, the final peace agreement of the Philippine government and the MILF signed in 2014 after 17 years of negotiations.
The Bangsamoro region was established following the ratification of Republic Act 11054 or the Organic Law for the BARMM in 2019. (Bong S. Sarmiento / MindaNews)
