COTABATO CITY – – Former Moro revolutionary leader Dimasangkay “Dimas” Alangadi Pundato died on Thursday, August 13 in his residence in Marawi City, an official of the National Commission on Muslim Filipinos (NCMF) said. He was 72.

“The NCMF officials and employees extend our deepest sympathy to the bereaved family. Inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi rajioon (We belong to Allah and to Him we shall return),” Dr. Dimapuno Datu-Ramos Jr., NCMF director for external relations said in a social media post.

A native of Lanao del Sur, Pundato was part of the original group of Moro fighters who trained abroad, known as the Top 90 of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF), and fought for self-determination of the Moro people.

Later, Pundato chaired the MNLF-Reformist Group that espoused changes in the way the Moro revolution was being run, in step with the times.

When he joined government, Pundato headed the Office of Muslim Affairs (OMA), the precursor of the NCMF.

He also served as Undersecretary of the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process.

Lawyer Rasol Mitmug Jr., a member of the interim Bangsamoro parliament, said he, along with Zia Alonto-Adiong is set to file a resolution “expressing profound sympathy and most sincere condolences” to the family of Pundato.

Pundato was born on December 21, 1947.

Cotabato City (June 26, 2020)—The Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA) approved a bill that will now define the power of appointment in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), during the parliament’s Second Regular Session held Thursday, June 25, 2020 in the city.

The BTA-Parliament Bill No. 46 entitled, “An act defining the power of appointment in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao and for other purposes”, was authored by the Government of the Day, and underwent a rigorous period of interpellation and amendment among the members of the parliament.

The said bill was created “to ensure an effective and efficient organization by way of the selection and appointment of officials and personnel of the various ministries, offices, bureaus, boards, commissions, and agencies, in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.”

Fifty-five (55) voted yes, zero (0) voted no, while one abstained, after the third and final reading of the bill.

Amendments proposed by MPs Amilbahar Mawallil, Atty. Paisalin Tago, and Atty. Rasol Mitmug on the content of the said bill were later adopted by the august body.

MPs Atty. Maisara Dandamun-Latiph, Atty. Jose Lorena, Atty. Nabil Tan, Zesar Alil, Abraham Burahan, and Abdulmuhmin Mujahid sponsored an amendment to Section 4 but was not accepted by the majority. 16 voted yes, 41 voted no, and with 1 abstention.

The plenary also discussed Parliament Bill No. 55 or the Bangsamoro Budgeting Act which will opt to create a Bangsamoro Budget Office, once it will be enacted into a law. MP Atty. Ubaida Pacasem delivered a sponsorship speech on Thursday.

“The passage of this bill will give life to Section 28, Art. 7, of the BOL which mandates us, the parliament, to create a Bangsamoro Budget Office, which shall ensure that the form, content, and manner of the preparation of the Bangsamoro Budget Office is compliant with the law we enacted and consistent with the existing laws, rules, and regulations of the national governemnt,” Pacasem said.

Furthermore, Speaker of the House Atty. Pangalian Balindong spoke about the Anti-Terror Bill in a privilege speech.

“We know the nasty feeling when the government avoids dealing with us then and so we can only sympathize with those who remain in the fringes and fighting for what they think is right. And don’t get me wrong, there is no reason for us not to hear them and even commiserate with them,” he said.

“On the other hand, it is also our duty to give them a more objective perspective, especially now that we are one with the government in ensuring a good life for our people,” Balindong noted.

On separate privilege speeches, MP Dr. Saffrullah Dipatuan, who also sits as the BARMM’s Health Minister, reported the current situation of Bangsamoro Government’s actions against the Coronavirus Disease (Covdi-19) pandemic, while MP Mohagher Iqbal, the Education Minister, stood firm on upholding the law amidst the two cease and desist memoranda orders addressed to provisional teachers and temporary employees.

“Being like a father to my employees, I am the first one who got affected by these Memoranda,” Iqbal noted, adding he even encountered sleepless nights and appetite loss caused by the termination issue.

“I know how lamentable their situation is. Some of them are in their senior years while others are struggling hard to make both ends meet, but we have to uphold the law,” he added. (Bureau of Public Information)

*Originally published by the Bangsamoro Information Office (https://bangsamoro.gov.ph/news/latest-news/bta-approves-bill-no-46-defining-the-power-of-appointment-in-barmm/)

COTABATO CITY – Members of the minority bloc of the Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA) filed a resolution on Thursday expressing the full support of the regional law-making body for the national government’s “Balik Probinsya, Bagong Pag-asa” (BP2) program.

The BTA minority bloc expressed its support for BP2 before the resumption of the Bangsamoro parliament session on June 16. The legislative body earlier suspended its sessions for the month-long fasting period of Ramadan that commenced on April 24.

“In anticipation of the people returning to Bangsamoro region areas under the BP2, a concrete development framework plan should be formulated by the Bangsamoro government in cooperation with the parliament,” the minority bloc said.

The group pointed out that the BP2 program is consistent with Section 7, Article IV of the Bangsamoro Organic Law, which provides that the Bangsamoro government “shall ensure that every Filipino citizen in its territorial jurisdiction shall be provided with basic necessities and equal opportunities in life.”

With BARMM in place as established in the Bangsamoro Organic Law, as well as its vast resources and potential, the bloc said the Moro people living in the National Capital Region and urban areas may opt to return to the Bangsamoro region.

On May 6, President Rodrigo Duterte issued Executive Order 114 institutionalizing the program to decongest Metro Manila amid the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic and for balanced regional development.

The program framework is divided into four key areas – empowerment of local industries; food security and agricultural productivity; social welfare, health, and employment; and the development of infrastructure.

The members of the BTA’s minority bloc include engineers Baintan Adil-Ampatuan and Don Loong; lawyers Laisa Alamia, Suharto “Teng” Ambolodto, and Rasul Mitmug Jr.; and opinion writer Amir Mawallil. (PNA)

*Originally published on Philippine News Agency (https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1104996)

COTABATO CITY— The people who understand best the struggle for self-governance are those who went through it themselves.

In this spirit, the interim Bangsamoro parliament passed a resolution expressing full support for the passage of measures now pending before Congress seeking to establish, yet again, an autonomous region in the Cordillera (ARC).

The current cause for Cordillera autonomy is contained in House Bill No. 5687 filed by All seven Cordillera representatives and Senate Bill No. 1232 filed by Sen. Juan Miguel Zubiri.

The 1987 Constitution provides for the creation of autonomous regions in Muslim Mindanao and in the Cordilleras.

In the resolution,  Bangsamoro parliament members said they believe that “the Cordillera’s pursuit of autonomy also deserves the same amount of attention and support as that of the Bangsamoro.”

The resolution was introduced by parliaments members Baintan Adil-Ampatuan, Jose Lorena, Laisa Alamia, Rasol Mitmug Jr., Suharto Ambolodto, Don Mustapha Loong, Amir Mawallil, Rasul Ismael, and Lanang Ali Jr.

During the plenary deliberation on the measure, Mohagher Iqbal, who is also the Bangsamoro’s education minister, expressed the  desire to co-author the resolution.

Iqbal used to head the Moro Islamic Liberation Front’s panel in the long and arduous negotiations with the government to gain greater self-governance powers.

When the Bangsamoro Organic Law was still pending in Congress, the Regional Development Council of the Cordillera Administrative Region issued a resolution expressing support for the passage of the Moro autonomy law.

“It is now our turn to support the bid of the people of the Cordilleras for their autonomous region,” Ampatuan said.

The Cordilleras included the provinces of Abra, Apayao, Benguet, Mountain Province, Ifugao and Kalinga, and the City of Baguio.

Two plebiscites were held in the past but votes against full Cordillera autonomy overwhelmed votes in favor of it.

In the first, on January 30, 1990, Ifugao was the lone province to vote for self-rule. In the second, on March 7, 1998, only Apayao province chose autonomy.