Senate Majority Leader Francis ‘Tolentino renewed his call on various government agencies to work together to come up with a transition fund to cover the expenses urgently needed by Sulu province, following its severance from the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).
Tolentino raised this petition at the Senate sub-committee hearing he presided over for the proposed 2025 budget of the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) and its attached agencies on Thursday.
The senator asked Interior Secretary Benjamin Abalos, Jr. how the agency has been assisting Sulu, as the latter transitions from BARMM to Region 9 or the Zamboanga Peninsula, which would presumably absorb its administrative jurisdiction after a recent Supreme Court ruling.
Tolentino expressed concerns over the budgetary requirements of the province to support its police officers and all employees working in the public sector, among other issues.
“You have regional officers in Region 9, and perhaps Sulu will be transferred there. What happens now to Sulu? Is it possible to carve out something from your budget allocation to form a Sulu fund? This could come from a small share from each agency, but if pooled, this transition fund could be substantial enough,” the senator told Abalos.
In response, Abalos said that just like other agencies, the DILG did not anticipate the exclusion of Sulu from BARMM. This was based on the recent decision of the Supreme Court, which the senator noted is immediately executory.
“We are coordinating with the Ministry of the Interior Local Government of BARMM if it would be possible to keep the status quo. In the same token, we face a dilemma on how to raise these funds from what we currently have. It is difficult, but we’re trying to scrape some funds using every means possible,” shared Abalos.
Tolentino then turned to the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) to ask whether the agency had come up with a directive yet to guide government agencies in assisting the province.
Responding to the senator, DBM director Carlos Castro said the agency is in the process of drafting a comment to establish a funding mechanism for Sulu, which would cover provisions such as salaries, government assistance and other related matters—including the consideration of a transition fund for the province.
Tolentino stressed the need to expedite the issuance of the DBM directive to ensure that vital government services in the province would not be disrupted.
“We’re not just talking about DILG. We’re talking about the Department of Health, Department of Agriculture, Agrarian Reform, DSWD (Department of Social Welfare and Development) and the rest. We all need to help Sulu,” the senator stressed.
Throughout the hearing that lasted seven hours, Tolentino relayed the same appeal to other agencies under the DILG, such as the Philippine National Police, Bureau of Jail Management and Penology, and Bureau of Fire Protection.
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