Piñol unpopular with Bangsamoro
Piñol opposed an earlier agreement between the Moro Islamic Liberation Front and the government
While he avoided an outright rejection, former Department of Agriculture (DA) chief Manny Piñol may need to prove that he is the right person to head the Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA) since Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) interim Chief Minister and Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) Chairman
Al Hadj Murad Ebrahim said Piñol is unpopular among the Bangsamoro people.
Murad described Piñol as having a very strong sentiment against “Bangsamoro struggle for self-determination.”
Piñol opposed an earlier agreement between the MILF and the government when as North Cotabato governor, he and other Mindanao local officials filed a petition to nullify the Memorandum of Agreement on Ancestral Domain, a pact reached by the government with the MILF during the term of former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.
Ebrahim, however, said he defers to the decision of the President in the appointment of Piñol.
Being MinDA chief will now give Piñol the chance to redeem himself as he remains “unpopular to the Bangsamoro people,” as admitted by Murad.
Chief’s call
Murad, who confirmed he and 12 of the BARMM ministers met with President Rodrigo Duterte in Malacañang last Tuesday evening, with Piñol in tow, said appointing the former DA Secretary as the new head of MinDA is the Chief Executive’s prerogative.
He said the President gave an assurance that Piñol will not meddle in the governance and operation of the Bangsamoro Transition Authority and would just serve as Mr. Duterte’s “extension” to his supervisory work on BARMM-related matters.
“For other people, they are still not fine (with Piñol), but maybe later on if he would show that he is really supportive to the Bangsamoro, maybe his image will change in the eyes of the Bangsamoro people,” Murad said.
He added that as long as Piñol sticks to the responsibilities given him by the President, there would be no conflict between them.
The interim Chief Minister also bared that he reported to the Chief Executive, the progress so far made in the new region.
“We told him that all the ministries are already organized, they are fully-functioning,” he said.
Piñol handed in his courtesy resignation as Secretary of the DA last 27 June.
It was only last week, 5 July, when Mr. Duterte confirmed Piñol is “leaving the agriculture portfolio” and will be moved to MinDA but not until the President holds a formal consultation with Murad.
Transition team readied
In his meeting with Murad, the President has approved the activation of the Inter-Governmental Relations Committee (IRC) of the BARMM.
According to Murad, the IRC is one of the mechanisms to be put in place to streamline the operations and governance in the BARMM and address whatever problems may arise during the transition period and thereafter.
The body will be made up of seven Moro leaders and seven representatives of the national government who are possibly Cabinet secretaries.
“We already appointed our members for the IRC. We’re just waiting for President Duterte to name his team so we can start working,” Murad said.
Being MinDA chief will now give Piñol the chance to redeem himself.