By Gerwin Babon
THAT might confuse some Filipinos, given the recent political attempts to change the form of government of this country, or at the least amend some provisions, but I digress.
Mindanao Institute of Journalism (MIJ) and Media Impact Philippines invited 19 journalists and media practitioners from Visayas to “walk through” Mindanao, spanning 588 kilometers in three regions, just to get a good perspective inside the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (BARMM). The immersion made sure that media outside the Mindanao will have an appropriate narrative about BARMM, which is now in its 10th year since the signing of the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro between the government and Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) in 2014.
The Moro region has seen its share of the horrors of war, and the peace dividends that followed must be written in its proper context. Throughout history, the Moros waged a war against the republic to reclaim their ancestral domain, which according to Nur Misuari, the Moro nation was annexed to the Philippines in 1898 without their consent. As one veteran journalists from Mindanews Carolyn Froilan puts it, media stories must be written according to local narrative, not by how Manila media editors frame them.
Now, let’s head back to what I was trying to point out. There is only one government, that is the Republic of the Philippines. There was no revision in the 1987 Philippine Constitution whatsoever. What was enacted in 2018 was Republic Act 11054 or the Organic Law for BARMM that laid down the legal framework for its parliamentary system.
How will this work out in a presidential system?
Legislative power is vested in the Bangsamoro Parliament, and executive power in the Chief Minister. Judicial Power is vested only in the Supreme Court of the Philippines, including Shari’ah courts and regular courts within the Bangsamoro territorial jurisdiction that form part of the Philippine judicial system. The Chief Minister is under President of the Philippines’ power of general supervision.
However, what is written in the law is different from how it will be implemented.
Right now, BARMM is still in its transition period. Politics will play a significant role in its future. Former president Rodrigo Duterte signed RA 11593 postponing the first regular election of its parliament from May 2022 to May 2025, extending the transition period until June 30, 2025. On November 4, 2024, Senate President Francis Escudero has filed a bill to again postpone the election from May 12, 2025 to May 11, 2026. Another senator, Robinhood “Robin” C. Padilla, also filled a bill to create a new autonomous region for the people of Sulu, which was excluded from BARMM after voting no in a 2019 plebiscite.
The media will also play its role. There may be two Mindanao portrayed in the media. One is what Mindanaoans look at themselves. The other is what people not from Mindanao look at Mindanaoans. The latter having a different view of the former. It is important to note that BARMM is just part of the Mindanao’s social, political, economic, and cultural landscape.
I was fortunate enough to be part of MIJ’s project. Going to Mindanao, seeing the “land of promise” with my own eyes, and talking with few individuals and veteran journalists who experienced and covered wars and political turmoil, made the picture clearer of what BARMM, as well as Mindanao, really is for the Moro, Mindanaoans, and for all Filipinos.
