MindaNews / 08 August – “Sa lahat ng ating kapatid na Tausug sa Sulu (To all our brothers and sisters in Sulu), please know that you are never forgotten.”
Bangsamoro Interim Chief Minister Abdulraof Macacua made the assurance Thursday to the people of Sulu that the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) will not forsake the island-province even if it was already transferred administratively to Region 9 or the Zamboanga Peninsula.
“As your brother in the struggle and in faith—and as your Chief Minister—I assure you: our programs, services, and development efforts in the Province of Sulu will continue with firm and unyielding commitment,” Macacua said in a speech during his first Chief Minister’s Report at the Bangsamoro Government Complex in Cotabato City.
“Pinagbuklod tayo ng iisang adhikain (we are bonded by the same goal): to restore the dignity of our people and secure a future worthy of their sacrifices. Hindi kasagutan ang ating pagkakawatak-watak sa problema na ating dinadanas. Kaya, ngayon na hawak na natin ang pagkakataon na mapabuti ang bawat buhay ng Bangsamoro (Our disintegration is not the solution to our problem. And now that we have the chance to uplift the lives of every Bangsamoro), we will never turn our backs on you,” he added.
A copy of his speech was furnished to MindaNews by the Office of the Chief Minister’s Strategic Communications Team.
Last March, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. appointed Macacua as chief minister, vice Ahod “Al Haj Murad” Ebrahim, the chairperson of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front.
Last July 30, Marcos signed Executive Order (EO) 91, declaring Sulu as part of the Zamboanga Peninsula, almost a year after the Supreme Court ruling excluding the province from the Bangsamoro region.
EO 91 said that during the transition period this year, Sulu’s provincial government, along with its municipal governments and relevant national government agencies (NGAs), is directed to “make all reasonable efforts to facilitate a phased and seamless transition.”
“There exists an urgent need to effectively implement and address the impacts of the Supreme Court Decision and Resolution in Province of Sulu v. the Executive Secretary, et al, including the regional affiliation of the Province of Sulu, while continuing to ensure the uninterrupted government operations and delivery of essential government projects, programs, and activities within Sulu,” Marcos said.
On September 9 last year, the Supreme Court ruled that Sulu does not belong to BARMM because the “No” vote won in the province during the 2019 plebiscite on the creation of the autonomous region.
Macacua noted that Sulu would substantially remain part of the Bangsamoro identity despite its transfer to Region 9.
“Mr. Speaker, Insha Allah, we move forward together—not as scattered islands or lost tribes—but as one resilient and truly united Bangsamoro,” he said.
The Bangsamoro transition government is set to end on October 30, when the first set of elected parliamentary officials are sworn into office.
The BARMM is set to conduct its first parliamentary elections on October 13, after having been postponed twice. (Bong S. Sarmiento / MindaNews)
