By Christian V. Esguerra
Sulu Gov. Abdusakur Tan rejected the Moro Islamic Liberation Front’s push to extend its rule in the new autonomous region in the southern Philippines, belittling the former rebels’ ability to govern, and saying they should seek a mandate in the 2022 elections.
Tan, whose province had unsuccessfully sought to bolt the region, questioned the competence of the MILF as leaders of the Bangsamoro Transition Authority, the provisional government tasked to reform the region beset by years of armed conflict, chronic poverty, and violent extremism.
“They have not performed. It is a complete failure,” he said on the Facts First podcast.
“To tell you frankly—I want to be frank para malaman rin nila—they are not competent. They have no competence at all to govern. The problem is they want to govern and rule.”
Interim Chief Minister Murad Ebrahim, leader of the what used to be the Philippines’ largest Muslim rebel group, earlier cited difficulties in the transition from the old Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) to the new one, the result of a 2014 peace accord.
The new regional government had to make do with the old budget of the ARMM last year, and had to wait for the release of the block grant guaranteed by the Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL).
The Covid-19 pandemic, which began early this year, also significantly slowed down implementation of the three-year transition, which the MILF is now pushing to extend until 2025.
Murad met with several senators and House leaders last week and said he had secured their commitment to support a bill extending the Bangsamoro transition by another three years.
An extension would mean postponing the new region’s first regular elections in 2022, a proposal that did not sit well with Tan, who said the former rebels were probably “shocked” with actual governance work.
“Una, wala naman silang experience. Kahit barangay captain, hindi nakapag-barangay captain. And then bigla na lang ilalagay natin sa magandang table, hahawakan ang bilyun-bilyon na pera,” the governor said.
“This is no jungle. This is government so kailangan wag nating pagsamantalahan ang ating mga taong bayan.”
Murad acknowledged his lack of experience in government, saying that indeed, he had not served even as a village chief.
“But it’s a matter of leadership,” he told this reporter, citing his role in the Bangsamoro struggle for more than 40 years. “Yun ang importante sa governance—leadership.”
Murad rejected the idea that his group would be governing without a mandate in case elections were postponed in 2022 as a result of the extension.
Its mandate, he said, was provided in the BOL, which was the product of a political settlement with the Philippine government.