BARMM performance audit before extension

It was a big letdown to many stakeholders. Before they could fully grasp the import and ramification of the varied issues involved in the bid to extend the transition period to the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr. jumped the gun on them and recommended it to the President. If granted, this will in effect postpone the 2022 parliamentary elections and extend the term of office of the officials and members of the Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA). Secretary Galvez being the alter ego of the President has the ears of the latter.

Legally, the matter is within the province of the legislature. But given the influence of the President on Congress, the request of the leadership of the BARMM will likely be granted.

How did Secretary Galvez come to that recommendation? What was his basis? Didn’t he find it necessary to refer the request to the concerned cabinet cluster where its validity could be vetted? Never mind the stakeholders who are more occupied with mundane concerns, but were there consultations with the component local government units of the BARMM which will be affected by the extension?

No wonder there was a resounding rejection of the request by the provinces of Sulu and Lanao del Sur, including Marawi City.

Secretary Galvez’s media statement that three years are too short a period for transition echoes the justification campaign being waged by the BARMM leadership? Isn’t it too soon to recommend it? They are midway through the transition period that gives them a year-and-a-half. Did Secretary Galvez even bother to create a group within his office as Presidential Adviser on Peace Process to review what the BARMM-BTA has so far done, and what remains to be done? He did not say so. Perhaps he found it unnecessary.

Amid the flurry of discordant voices, one stood out brightly for its wisdom, validity and logic. The press statement of Deputy Speaker Mujiv Hataman made a lot of sense. He said he will file a Resolution proposing to conduct a “congressional midterm review of the Bangsamoro transition” and “those pushing for the extension… should present a roadmap outlining their plans and goals that they seek to accomplish to include timelines for short and long-term projects and programs.” This will in turn be the basis for a congressional action vis a vis the request for extension. He warned that a “blind extension would be counterproductive.”

Political theorists may view the circumstances as akin to reverse democracy. This happened when the state determines what is good for the people instead of the people deciding what is best for them, a corruption of the political theory of subsidiarity. The essence of pure Athenian democracy is consultation or “the opportunity to participate directly in the political arena,” the will of the people after all being the supreme law. We are seeing the reverse.

The opponents of the extension warned the advocates that it is still too early to bring out the champagne. It’s still a year-anda-half and anything can happen that might stymie the bid. It’s best that the transition authorities concentrate on their works. Their optimism might dampen their enthusiasm to work.

But as we have pointed out in previous articles, the final say is with the President. He sits on top of the

“totem pole” with access to sensitive information not open to the general public. Opinion writers can only diagnose the pros and cons of any issue to educate the public. They can do only so much and must always condition their mind to give way to the greater interest of the state.

Hope springs eternal. Stakeholders ask that the issue be crystalized in a national forum which could be the public hearings which Congress will conduct when a bill is filed for the amendment of the specific provision of the Organic Act on the life shell of the BTA. This will be the ideal forum to vet it.

Meantime, it is best to keep the discussion open. We will continue to explore the merit and demerit of the move. Which move will serve better the greater interest of the greater number of the stakeholder Moros?

The final say is with the President. He sits on top of the totem pole with access to sensitive information not open to the general public.

Secretary Galvez being the alter ego of the President has the ears of the latter.