The Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) will appeal the Supreme Court’s decision excluding the province of Sulu from the governing body.
At the Saturday News Forum in Quezon City, BARMM spokesperson and Cabinet Secretary Mohd Asnin Pendatun said, “Magfa-file kami (We will file)… a motion for leave to intervene with motion for partial reconsideration.”
Early this month, the Supreme Court upheld the validity of the Bangsamoro Organic Law, however, it also declared Sulu is not part of the BARMM.
Pendatun said the BARMM government received a copy of the high tribunal’s ruling last Sept. 16.
“So we have until Oct. 1 to find or to make use of that legal remedy,” he said.
The Bangsamoro government official explained that the BARMM is filing for a motion for leave to intervene since it is not a party to the case.
“Pero since kami nga ang pinakaapektado (Since we are most affected) … we will still explore the option to file a motion for leave to intervene with a motion for partial reconsideration,” Pendatun said.
The Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL), which was enacted into law on July 27, 2018, seeks to replace the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) with BARMM, which will have an expanded land and water jurisdiction, fiscal autonomy, and increased share in national government resources, among others.
In 2018, Sulu Governor Abdusakur Tan II questioned before the SC the legality of the BOL, arguing that ARMM cannot be abolished without amending the Constitution.
Meanwhile, Sulu province rejected the ratification of the BOL during the plebiscite in 2019.
“As Sulu rejected the Bangsamoro Organic Law in the plebiscite, it was wrong to include the province in BARMM,” said SC spokesperson Camille Ting.
BARMM is set to have its first parliamentary elections in May 2025. With the latest decision, however, Sulu will not be participating in the elections.
“They are not part of the BARMM, so they won’t be participating in that,” said Ting.
Pendatun said that the BARMM was “very saddened and concerned” by the SC’s decision.
“Sulu is very important in the BARMM. We cannot speak about the Bangsamoro identity, the Bangsamoro struggle or the Bangsamoro narrative without starting in Sulu. So, ganoon ho kaimportante at kaya ho ganoon ho kabigat on our part iyon pong pagkawala ng Sulu (so, the non-inclusion of Sulu is very important and weighs heavily on us),” he said. — VDV, GMA Integrated News
Be the first to comment