MARAWI CITY—Bangsamoro Government’s spokesperson Mohd Asnin Pendatun emphasized the interim government’s preparations as the transition period draws to a close.

​"When it comes to readiness, our efforts are focused on the preparation of the transitional government ready for the Bangsamoro Government​. This means that all our governmental interventions shall be done, so once the Bangsamoro Government is established, we can safely say that whoever sits as a part of the Government of the Day is deemed ready,” Pendatun said during his press conference on May 6 at the Bangsamoro Government Center.​

Pendatun, who is also the BARMM’s Cabinet Secretary, shared that Bangsamoro Chief Minister Ahod Ebrahim welcomes and acknowledges the civil society organizations (CSOs) call for the extension of the Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA) Parliament and the reasons therein.​

He added that the Chief Minister, on the other hand, also gave directives as to preparing for the possibility of the conduct of the upcoming elections next year.​

Under Republic Act No. 11593, the first parliamentary elections in the BARMM shall be held and synchronized with the 2025 national elections.

Final pieces of the puzzle

Pendatun reiterated that the recent Special Geographic Areas (SGA)  plebiscite was among the ‘final pieces of the puzzle’ to say that the pioneering parliamentary elections both in the country and the autonomous region are almost complete.On April 13, 2024, the SGA conducted its voting for the creation of eight new towns, namely Pahamuddin, Kadayangan, Nabalawag, Old Kaabakan, Kapalawan, Malidegao, Tugunan, and Ligawasan.​

Based on the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) data, a total of 72,358 residents favored the creation of the eight new SGA municipalities, equivalent to 81.10% of the total registered voters, or 89,564 individuals, and only 273 people voted otherwise.​

Evolving a strong, responsive, and relevant BARMM bureaucracy is the priority agenda of Chief Minister Ebrahim. (BIO/PIA Lanao del Sur)