2 SOLONS FROM MINDANAO LAMENT EXCLUSION OF SULU FROM BARMM

TWO lawmakers from Mindanao expressed sadness over the exclusion of Sulu province from the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).

However, Basilan Rep. Mujiv Hataman and Lanao del Sur Rep. Ziaur-Rahman Alonto Adiong hailed the decision of the Supreme Court  (SC)  validating the Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL).

Earlier, the High Tribunal granted Sulu’s petition against its inclusion in BARMM even as it dismissed challenges to other provisions of the BOL.

Hataman said this is a sad fact that Sulu is not part of the Bangsamoro region anymore.

“Habang ikinagagalak natin ang desisyon ng Mataas na Hukuman ukol sa BOL, hindi natin maikukubli ang ating kalungkutan at pagkadismaya sa hatol na hindi bahagi ng Bangsamoro region ang Sulu,” Hataman, a former governor of the now-defunct ARMM, said.

“Kahit ilang ulit nating balikan ang kasaysayan, ang Sulu ang duyan ng pakikibaka para sa isang malayang Bangsamoro. Mula noon hanggang ngayon, ito ay nananatiling simbolo ng paglaban ng mga Moro laban sa panunupil,” he added.

The Supreme Court’s ruling confirmed the constitutional validity of the BOL, which established the BARMM in 2019.

“Ang kwento ng mga magigiting na mandirigma ng Sulu ay bahagi ng naratiba ng Bangsamoro. Maraming bayani at mujahideen mula sa Moro National Liberation Front ay galing sa lalawigan ito,” Hataman said.

He said the Bangsamoro would not be complete without Sulu.

“Hindi kumpleto ang Bangsamoro kapag wala ang Sulu. Isang malaking dagok ito sa aming pagsisikap na maisulong ang pagkakaisa at pagkakabuklod-buklod ng mga lalawigan sa rehiyon,” Hataman said.

According to  Adiong, said Sulu has been a foundational part of the autonomous government in the region. Alongside Lanao del Sur, Sulu was one of the original provinces that formed the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), embodying the aspirations of their people for self-governance, peace, and development.

“Sulu and its people have always been central to the cause for autonomy. It was their bravery that ignited the fire that would ultimately forge the BARMM. The struggles and sacrifices of the Tausūg have laid the groundwork for the freedoms we now enjoy. Their unwavering commitment to our shared dream of autonomy and peace is deeply ingrained in the history of the Bangsamoro,” Adiong said.

He stressed that the loss of Sulu leaves a deep void in the Bangsamoro homeland.

The SC upheld the validity of Republic Act No. 11054 or the Organic Law for the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (Bangsamoro Organic Law) but declared the province of Sulu not part of the BARMM after the province rejected the law’s ratification.

The BARMM’s creation and determination of its territorial jurisdiction shall take effect upon the law’s ratification by majority of the votes cast in a plebiscite.

A plebiscite was conducted on January 21, 2019, covering areas of then ARMM and Isabela City in Basilan and Cotabato City.

Another plebiscite was held on February 6, 2019, in Lanao del Norte, municipalities in North Cotabato, and other areas that petitioned for voluntary inclusion.

The majority of the ARMM ratified the law, except for Sulu.

The Court ruled that the Bangsamoro Organic Law is constitutional because it does not make BARMM a separate state from the Philippines.

The Law did not give it the power to enter into relations with other states, nor did it grant the BARMM its sovereignty.Matters of national defense and security, citizenship, foreign policy, and foreign trade remain with the national government.