JULY 22, 2020
AUZUBILLAH MINASHAITAN NI RAJEEM
BISMILLAHIR RAHMANIR RAHEEM
ASSALAMU ALAYKUM WA RAHMATULLAHI TAALA WA BARAKATUH
MR. SPEAKER, ESTEEMED COLLEAGUES, AND GUESTS, IN ATTENDANCE TODAY, A PLEASANT AFTERNOON TO ALL OF YOU.
I STAND BEFORE THIS AUGUST BODY TO ONCE AGAIN DELIVER THE CHIEF MINISTER’S REPORT. THIS 8TH INSTALMENT IS SUBSTANTIALLY DIVIDED INTO TWO PARTS: FIRST, I WILL DISCUSS SOME IMPORTANT ISSUES FROM THE BANGSAMORO INTER-AGENCY TASK FORCE ON COVID19; SECOND I WILL PROVIDE UPDATES ON THE PRIORITY LEGISLATIONS AND OTHER IMPORTANT WORK THAT WE SHALL CONTINUE TO FULFIL IN THIS TRANSITION PERIOD.
MR. SPEAKER, COLLEAGUES IN THE PARLIAMENT, WE CURRENTLY HAVE 407 CONFIRMED CASES OF COVID19 IN THE REGION, 273 OF WHICH ARE ACTIVE CASES, WITH 126 RECOVERIES, AND 8 DEATHS. 36 OF OUR CONFIRMED CASES ARE RECORDED IN MAGUINDANAO, 165 IN LANAO DEL SUR AND MARAWI CITY, 75 IN BASILAN AND LAMITAN CITY, 10 IN SULU, AND 1 IN TAWI-TAWI.
ALSO INCLUDED IN THE TALLY OF CONFIRMED CASES ARE THE LOCALLY STRANDED INDIVIDUALS BOUND FOR BASILAN, SULU, AND TAWI-TAWI WHO ARE CURRENTLY QUARANTINED IN OUR ISOLATION FACILITIES IN SULTAN KUDARAT, MAGUINDANAO. OUT OF THE 405 SWAB TESTS TAKEN FROM THIS GROUP OF L.S.I.s, 120 TURNED OUT TO BE POSITIVE.
MR. SPEAKER AND MY DEAR COLLEAGUES, THERE HAS BEEN A SIGNIFICANT INCREASE OF CONFIRMED CASES IN THE REGION IN THE PAST FEW WEEKS AND ALLOW ME TO SHARE SOME IMPORTANT OBSERVATIONS ON THIS REGARD.
IF WE LOOK CLOSELY AT OUR DATA, THE SIGNIFICANT INCREASE CAN BE ASSOCIATED WITH ARRIVAL OF THE L.S.I.s AND ROFS IN THE REGION CONSIDERING THAT OF THE 403 CONFIRMED CASES, 328 (81%) ARE L.S.I.S, 21 (5%) ARE RETURNING OFWS, AND 58 (14%) ARE LOCAL CASES. IN ADDITION, BEFORE THE LAUNCHING OF THE HATID TULONG PROGRAM, FORMERLY HATID PROBINSYA PROGRAM OF THE NATIONAL GOVERNMENT, THE BANGSAMORO AUTONOMOUS REGION HAD ONLY 12 CONFIRMED CASES – THIS WAS AS OF MAY 12, 2020 – AND IT REMAINED AT 12 FOR MORE THAN 3 WEEKS.
THE FIRST CONFIRMED CASE OF LSI WAS RECORDED ON MAY 26, 2020, IN MAGUINDANAO. SINCE THEN, THE NUMBER SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASED BUT ON THE BRIGHT SIDE, ALL OF THESE L.S.I.S ARE ASYMPTOMATIC AND ARE QUARANTINED AT THE VARIOUS ISOLATION FACILITIES IN THE REGION BEFORE THEY ARE FINALLY ALLOWED TO GO HOME.
AS OF JULY 16, 2020, WE HAVE ALREADY FACILITATED A TOTAL OF 15,284 L.S.I.S , ROFS, AND RETURNEES FROM SABAH. GENERALLY SPEAKING, WE STILL HAVE ENOUGH ISOLATION FACILITIES IN THE REGION BUT IN SOME CRITICAL AREAS, WE ARE ALREADY REACHING THE MAXIMUM CAPACITY. IN VIEW OF THIS AND AS I HAVE MENTIONED BEFORE, WE WILL BUILD ADDITIONAL ISOLATION FACILITIES SIMILAR TO THE ONE WE BUILT IN COTABATO SANITARIUM HOSPITAL. AS WE SPEAK, OUR BIATF TEAM ARE DOING THE GROUNDBREAKING OF THESE FACILITIES IN BASILAN, SULU, AND TAWI-TAWI.
MR. SPEAKER, DESPITE THE CHALLENGE BROUGHT BY THE SUDDEN INCREASE OF CONFIRMED CASES ASSOCIATED WITH THESE L.S.I.S AND ROFS, THE BANGSAMORO GOVERNMENT REMAINS COMMITTED IN BRINGING THESE PEOPLE HOME. IT IS IMPORTANT TO NOTE THAT THESE PEOPLE WERE STRANDED FOR SEVERAL MONTHS IN OTHER PARTS OF THE COUNTRY. SOME OF THEM ARE THE BREADWINNERS OF THEIR FAMILIES. A DAY AWAY FROM THEIR LOVE ONES IS CRUCIAL IN THE EVERYDAY LIVES, IF NOT IN THE SURVIVAL OF THEIR FAMILIES. WE SHALL CONTINUE TO CATER THEIR IMMEDIATE NEEDS. AFTER ALL, THEY ARE OUR PEOPLE AND AT THIS TIME OF CRISIS, OUR DECISION SHOULD MAINLY FOCUS ON PUBLIC HEALTH, CONTINUITY OF GOVERNMENT SERVICE, AND HUMANITARIAN CONSIDERATIONS, ALL IN THE NAME OF OUR CALL FOR MORAL GOVERNANCE.
FOR US TO FURTHER STRENGTHEN OUR HANDLING OF THESE L.S.I.S, ROF, AS WELL AS THE RETURNEES FROM SABAH, PROPER AND PRIOR COORDINATION FROM ALL LEVELS OF GOVERNANCE MUST BE IN PLACED – BETWEEN AND AMONG THE NATIONAL, THE AUTONOMOUS REGION, AND THE LGUS. THIS IS TO AVOID ANOTHER INCIDENT LIKE THAT OF THE BASULTA BOUND L.S.I.s WHO WERE BROUGHT TO CAGAYAN DE ORO ON JULY 7, 2020 AND WE WERE ONLY INFORMED OF THEIR ARRIVAL AFTER THEY WERE DISEMBARKED IN CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY. AT WHICH POINT OUR INITIAL COURSE OF ACTION WAS TO INFORM AND ASK OUR BASULTA GOVERNORS TO FETCH THEIR RESPECTIVE L.S.I.s. THIS PROVED TO BE VERY CHALLENGING CONSIDERING THE DISTANCE AND LOGISTICS INVOLVED IN MAKING THIS HAPPEN.
THE SECOND OPTION THEN WAS TO BRING THE L.S.I.s TO ZAMBOANGA CITY WHICH WOULD REQUIRE US TO CHARTER 17 BUSES. IT DID NOT MATERIALIZE AS THE CITY GOVERNMENT OF ZAMBOANGA WOULD ONLY ALLOW THE ENTRY OF THESE BUSES WITH THE CONDITION THAT THEY WILL BE DIRECTLY BROUGHT TO THE PORT AND BE FETCHED IMMEDIATELY BY THE RESPECTIVE LGUS. THE PROVINCES, PARTICULARLY BASILAN AND SULU ARE ALREADY OVERWHELMED BY THE ARRIVAL OF L.S.I.s, ROFS, AND RETURNEES FROM SABAH MAKING THE SAID CONDITIONALITY DIFFICULT TO ACHIEVE.
IN VIEW OF THESE, WE DECIDED TO REROUTE THE 17 BUSES AND BRING THESE L.S.I.s TO OUR VARIOUS ISOLATION FACILITIES IN SULTAN KUDARAT, MAGUINDANAO. AFTER BEING STRANDED FOR MONTHS IN MANILA AND TWO NIGHTS IN CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY, THE L.S.I.s WERE BACK TO THE BANGSAMORO REGION ON JULY 10, 2020 AT 12:15AM.
SWAB SAMPLES WERE TAKEN IMMEDIATELY UPON THEIR ARRIVAL AND THEY WERE HOUSED AT THE FOLLOWING FACILITIES: ISOLATION CENTER IN COTABATO SANITARIUM HOSPITAL, MPW EQUIPMENT POOL COMPOUND, ARMMIARC COMPOUND, BLMI, AND THE MILITARY ACADEMY GYM, IN CAMP DARAPANAN. THE FACILITIES ARE MANAGED BY THE CAMP MANAGERS DESIGNATED BY THE MSSD AND ARE CLOSELY MONITORED BY THE MOH WITH SECURITY ASSISTANCE FROM THE PNP – SULTAN KUDARAT AND THE BANGSAMORO ISLAMIC ARMED FORCES.
THE INITIAL PLAN WAS TO IMMEDIATELY TRANSPORT THOSE WHO WILL BE NEGATIVE FOR COVID19 VIA NAVY VESSEL. IN FACT, ON JULY 11, ONE OF THE NAVY VESSELS WAS ALREADY DOCKED AT POLLOC PORT BUT IN VIEW OF THE HIGH INFECTION RATE OF 120 CONFIRMED CASES, OUT OF THE 405 SWAB TESTS, WE DECIDED TO HAVE THEM COMPLETE THEIR 14-DAY QUARANTINE IN OUR ISOLATION FACILITIES, PURSUANT TO THE ADVISE OF OUR MEDICAL EXPERTS.
THE BASIC NEEDS OF THESE L.S.I.s ARE BEING TAKEN CARED OF BY THE BANGSAMORO GOVERNMENT AND WE ASSURE EVERYONE THAT PROPER HANDLING AND OTHER PRECAUTIONARY MEASURES ARE IN PLACED TO ENSURE THAT WE WILL BE ABLE TO CONTAIN THE SPREAD OF THE VIRUS.
MR. SPEAKER, MAY THESE LATEST CASES OF COVID 19 IN THE BANGSAMORO REGION SERVE AS A REMINDER TO EVERYONE THAT THOUGH WE HAVE DONE SO MUCH TO MANAGE THE SPREAD OF THE VIRUS AND ATTEND TO THE NEEDS OF OUR PEOPLE DURING THE PANDEMIC, COVID19 IS STILL OUT THERE AND ITS THREATS ARE REAL. OUR BATTLE AGAINST THIS VIRUS IS FAR FROM OVER.
AS WE CONTINUE OUR BATTLE AGAINST COVID19, WE MUST ALSO CONTINUE OUR WORK IN COMPLETING WHAT IS EXPECTED OF US DURING THE TRANSITION PERIOD. AS SUCH MR. SPEAKER, AND MY DEAR COLLEAGUES IT IS MY HONOR TO REPORT TO THIS AUGUST BODY THAT WE HAVE FORMALLY TRANSMITTED THE FOLLOWING PRIORITY CODES: THE ADMINISTRATIVE CODE, THE CIVIL SERVICE CODE, AND THE LOCAL GOVERNANCE CODE. ALHAMDULILLAH.
PRIOR TO THIS, I, TOGETHER WITH THE DESIGNATED LEAD DRAFTERS FROM THE CABINET, THE SPEAKER, AND THE MAJORITY FLOOR LEADER MET WITH SOME MEMBERS OF THIS AUGUST BODY IN TWO BATCHES TO INITIALLY DISCUSS HOW WE CAN FASTRACK THE PASSAGE OF THE PRIORITY CODES WITHOUT SACRIFICING THE QUALITY OF ITS CONTENTS. WE WOULD LIKE TO TAKE THIS OPPORTUNITY TO APOLOGIZE IF WE WERE NOT ABLE TO MEET THE ENTIRE MEMBERS OF THIS AUGUST BODY. THIS IS PARTLY DUE TO THE PROHIBITION OF LARGE GATHERINGS, BUT REST ASSURED THAT WE WILL ALSO FIND TIME TO MEET THE REST. IN SHAA ALLAH
WE BELIEVE THAT IT IS IMPORTANT TO FINISH THE PROCESS AS SOON AS POSSIBLE IN ORDER DEMONSTRATE OUR CAPABILITY AND COMMITMENT TO COMPLETE THE TASKS AT HAND. WE ARE AWARE THAT THE PASSAGE OF THE SIX PRIORITY CODES ARE THE MAIN DUTIES MENTIONED IN THE B.O.L. AND WE ARE ALSO AWARE OF THE THERE HAD BEEN CONCERNS ABOUT THE STATUS OF THESE CODES. WITH THE GUIDANCE OF ALLAH SWT, THREE DRAFT PRIORITY CODES ARE NOW IN THE HANDS OF THIS AUGUST BODY.
THESE CODES WERE CAREFULLY DRAFTED BY THE CABINET, AND IT HAS UNDERGONE SEVERAL DELIBERATIONS, CONSULTATIONS, AND SESSIONS WITH EXPERTS. ALONG THESE LINES AND WITH OUR WITH OUR CONTINUOUS EFFORT TO PROVIDE ALTERNATIVE VENUES FOR ENGAGEMENTS BEYOND THE SESSION HALLS, WE ARE CONFIDENT THAT WE WILL BE ABLE TO IRON OUT WHATEVER ISSUES AND CHALLENGES WE MAY FACE IN COMPLETING THE LEGISLATIVE PROCESS.
MR.SPEAKER AND MY DEAR COLLEAGUES, WHAT IS OF PRIME IMPORTANCE IS THAT WE PASS THESE VITAL LEGISLATIONS WITHIN THE YEAR. IN SHAA ALLAH
MR. SPEAKER, THE VARIOUS MINISTRIES AND OFFICES OF THE BANGSAMORO ARE LIKEWISE CONTINUING THE RECRUITMENT AND HIRING PROCESS THAT WAS SERIOUSLY HAMPERED BY THE COVID19 PANDEMIC. IT CAN BE RECALLED THAT THE BANGSAMORO JOB PORTAL RECEIVED 295, 813 APPLICATIONS FOR THE 4, 078 JOBS POSTED IN THE PORTAL WHICH MEANS THAT FOR EVERY POSITION POSTED, WE RECEIVE AN AVERAGE OF 72 APPLICATIONS. PROCESSING THE SHEER VOLUME OF THESE APPLICATIONS IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE INDEPENDENT, STRICTLY MERIT- BASED, AND CREDIBLE PLACEMENT AND HIRING PROCESS WILL SURELY TAKE SOME TIME. AND IF THIS IS THE CONSEQUENCE OF BEING OPEN AND TRANSPARENT, THEN WE ARE MORE THAN WILLING TO PAINSTAKINGLY PROCESS THESE APPLICATIONS.
IMPLEMENTATION OF OUR BANNER PROGRAMS AS APPROVED IN THE BANGSAMORO APPROPRIATIONS ACT WERE ALSO HAMPERED BY THE ONGOING COVID19 PANDEMIC. THIS IS ALSO PARTLY DUE TO THE FACT THAT WE NEEDED TO REDIRECT OUR PRIORITIES TO RESPOND TO THE IMMEDIATE CHALLENGES POSED BY COVID19. BE THAT AS IT MAY, THERE IS STILL TIME TO WORK ON THESE PROGRAMS. WE STILL HAVE THE SECOND HALF OF THE YEAR TO CONTINUE THE IMPLEMENTATION, AS FAR AS PRACTICABLE.
MR. SPEAKER, AND MY DEAR COLLEAGUES, IT IS IMPORTANT TO CONSTANTLY REMIND OURSELVES THAT OUR WORK HERE IN THE BTA IS A MERE CONTINUATION OF OUR STRUGGLE. THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE BANGSAMORO GOVERNMENT IS JUST A STEP TOWARDS ACHIEVING OUR GOAL OF ADDRESSING THE STRUGGLES AND ASPIRATIONS OF OUR PEOPLE WHICH IN THE PROCESS SHALL BRING JUSTICE, SUSTAINABLE PEACE AND DEVELOPMENT IN THE BANGSAMORO.
THINKING THAT THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE BTA IN ITSELF IS THE END OUR STRUGGLE IS NOT ONLY WRONG, BUT IT IS ALSO A DANGEROUS PROPOSITION. THE POSITIONS THAT WE ARE HOLDING TODAY IS NOT A REWARD OF SOME SORT, THE POSITIONS WE ARE HOLDING ARE REMINDERS OF THE HUGE RESPONSIBILITIES ENTRUSTED TO US BY OUR PEOPLE. OUR SENSE OF REWARD SHOULD BE ABOUT SEEING OUR PEOPLE LIVING A SIGNIFICANTLY BETTER LIFE AND QUITE FRANKLY, WE STILL NEED TO DO A LOT MORE TO ACHIEVE THIS GOAL.
THE ROAD TO PEACE IS NOT A SPRINT, IT IS INDEED A MARATHON. LET US KEEP OUR HEARTS PURE AND INTENTIONS SINCERE AS WE CONTINUE OUR WORK DURING THIS TRANSITION PERIOD. WE ONLY HAVE LESS THAN TWO YEARS LEFT BEFORE THE FIRST ELECTION IN JUNE 2022. YES, WE HAVE DONE SO MUCH ALREADY BUT ON THE OTHER HAND, WE STILL HAVE A LOT TO DO. LET US MAKE THE MOST OUT OF OUR REMAINING TERM FOR OUR PEOPLE, FOR THE BANGSAMORO.
THANK YOU AND WASSALAM.
