Department of Budget and Management (DBM) Secretary Amenah F. Pangandaman, as Co-Chairperson of the Intergovernmental Relations Body (IGRB), which resolves issues relating to the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), welcomed Presidential Decree No. PBBM-2024-1244, issued by Executive Secretary Lucas P. Bersamin on November 18, 2024, ordering the continued delivery of government services in Sulu.
The Presidential Directive noted that "the Supreme Court ruling excluding Sulu from BARMM has several implications on the operation of the National and BARMM governments in the province."
It will be recalled that at the 20th meeting of the IGRB last October 11, 2024, the body resolved to coordinate with the Office of the Executive Secretary for the issuance of a written directive to the affected offices of the Bangsamoro Government, National Government, and Local Government Unit of Sulu to ensure continued operations of governmental matters in Sulu.
The IGRB has maintained that continued government operations must be maintained in Sulu pending the final decision of the Supreme Court on the exclusion of Sulu Province from BARMM.
In response, the Office of the President through the Office of the Executive Secretary, directed Pangandaman, as Budget Secretary and Co-Chariperson of the IGRB, to work with concerned national government agencies, local government units, and the BARMM government, for the preparation of the necessary presidential issuance that will ensure the continued implementation of the employment and salary of personnel of BARMM government offices in Sulu; nationally, locally, and BARMM-funded projects and programs (PAPs), including current processes and arrangements of revenue collection and fees; and other matters concerning governmental operations in the province.
Pangandaman welcomed the directive and thanked the Office of the President for its swift action on the issue.
"We thank the President for recognizing the importance of sustaining and preserving the gains we have achieved thus far for BARMM's self-governance, peace, and economic development, and we thank the Executive Secretary for his swift action on the matter. Rest assured, we will do everything we can to ensure the continued delivery of government services in Sulu," Pangandaman said.
In a unanimous decision dated September 9, 2024, the Supreme Court ruled that Sulu is not part of BARMM, citing that the province rejected the ratification of the Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL) enacted on July 27, 2018, which provides for the establishment of BARMM as a political entity and its corresponding basic governmental structure. However, the Bangsamoro Government, through its Bangsamoro Attorney General’s Office (BAGO), filed on October 1, 2024, a Motion for Leave to Intervene as well as a Motion for Partial Consideration, praying to be a party to the case and to re-include the province to the Bangsamoro region.
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