BTA composition stays for smooth turnover to next admin

MANILA – President Rodrigo Duterte has approved the recommendation to maintain the status quo on the current composition of the Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA), according to the Security, Justice and Peace Cabinet Cluster (SJPCC).

The SJPCC said the retention of the current BTA is crucial to addressing concerns of massive changes once the next administration takes over.

"By keeping the status quo in the BTA, we are not only building on and sustaining the gains of the Bangsamoro peace process. We are laying the foundations where genuine development and long-lasting peace can take root and flourish, and where our Moro brothers and sisters can look ahead to a better and brighter future," the SJPCC said in a statement on Friday.

Duterte also approved the nomination of the 41 Moro Islamic Liberation Front for the BTA, submitted by BARMM Chief Minister Ahod Ebrahim.

"Although the SJPCC recommended maintaining the status quo in the BTA, it must be noted that the President has the authority to replace those members who may be elected into office during the 2022 national elections," the statement read.

Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana, National Security Adviser Hermogenes Esperon, Jr., Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation and Unity Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr., and Interior Government Secretary Eduardo Año signed the statement.

The BTA acts as the interim government with executive and legislative power over the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region, created following the abolition of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao through the ratification of the Bangsamoro Organic Law in 2019.

The BTA was tasked to oversee the three-year transition period from 2019, followed by an election of Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) officials.

The SJPCC made the status quo recommendation as the three months before the new administration will provide the incumbent members time to complete their tasks.

It will also allow the current administration to "focus on ensuring that the key aspects of the transition process", such as building the capacity of the BTA Parliament and the BARMM Cabinet for good and accountable moral governance, will be "effectively carried out".

In Resolution No. 173, dated Oct. 12, 2021, the BTA requested Duterte to allow its incumbent members to continue carrying out their mandate "in order to preserve the gains achieved under the body’s various programs, projects, and legislative measures".

In the same resolution, the BTA said keeping the status quo is necessary in view of the "diverse ethnic-cultural and professional background of the body’s membership; their policy advocacies and accomplishments; and the extensive training on governance they have received from academic and other development institutions".

On November 17 last year, BTA Resolution No. 93 asked for the extension of the three-year transition period until June 30, 2025 "to complete transitional programs and projects for the constituents hampered by the coronavirus pandemic".

The BTA requested Duterte on February 15, through Resolution No. 209, to reappoint the BTA members whom he appointed, noting "this will ensure a smooth transition process without the possibility of any political disruptions taking place".

The SJPCC said the status quo in the BTA will be done in the exigency of public service.

"Undoubtedly, the BTA has over the past two years played an instrumental role in uplifting the lives of the Bangsamoro people and unleashing the economic potential of the region. Given these major accomplishments, its current membership must not only be given due recognition but must also be given the chance to complete what it has started," read the statement. (PNA)