Bangsamoro Spokesperson and Cabinet Secretary Mohd Asnin Pendatun on Sept. 19, 2024 addresses questions regarding the status of BARMM employees in Sulu during an exclusive interview at the Office of the Cabinet Secretariat, Bangsamoro Government Center, Cotabato City. (Benyamen Cabuntalan/BIO)
COTABATO CITY—Despite the recent Supreme Court decision severing Sulu from the Bangsamoro region, a total of 5,733 Bangsamoro employees in the province will continue receiving their salaries for 2024, subject to the completion of required documentation, Bangsamoro Spokesperson Mohd Asnin Pendatun said Thursday.
“We received the official copy of the Supreme Court (SC) decision on September 16, which, in effect, sets the cutoff as to the appreciation of such ruling,” Pendatun, who is also the Cabinet Secretary of the Bangsamoro Government, said in an exclusive interview.
On Sept. 9, the SC ruled that the Sulu province be severed from the Bangsamoro region as a result of the 2019 plebiscite, where the province cast 54% negative votes, equivalent to its non-inclusion in the autonomous region.
Under Section 18 Article X of the 1987 Constitution, only provinces, cities, and geographic areas voting favorably in a plebiscite, creating an autonomous region, shall be included in such region.
“We are looking into the general welfare of the Bangsamoro people in Sulu, leading to our recommendations that are mutually beneficial to all concerned,” he added.
According to the Spokesperson, permanent personnel will receive their salary ‘as usual’, covering Sept. 1–15 of the current fiscal year.
However, starting Sept. 16 onward, both permanent and contract of service personnel (COSP) are required to comply with the signing of the document of undertaking, stating that in the event of disallowance, the received salary shall be returned to the government.
Pendatun further noted that the contracts of the COSP need to be binding specifically with the ‘regional’ government.
Regarding unfilled positions, they will remain vacated unless otherwise ordered.
Legal Measures
The Bangsamoro Spokesperson stressed that the interim government still ‘explores’ legal options, addressing the SC decision to preserve the gains of the Bangsamoro peace process pursuant to the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB)—the final peace accord between the Government of the Philippines and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), which halted the parties’ decades-long armed struggle.
“If you observe, ‘on or before December 31’ is emphasized because we are not closing the possibility that prior to concluding 2024, a new issuance or legal measure will be available,” he shared. (Johamin Inok/BIO)
