MALACANANG yesterday said the change in leadership of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) had nothing to do with alleged irregularities in the use of its P6.4 billion Local Government Support Fund (LGSF) and the ongoing probe on the matter.
Communications Undersecretary and Palace press officer Claire Castro, in a briefing, said former Interim Chief Minister Ahod Ebrahim resigned from his post.
“The change of Interim Chief Minister also had nothing to do with the allegations of fund misuse because Sir Ebrahim himself resigned to concentrate on the BARMM parliamentary elections in October,” Castro said.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. earlier named Abdulraof Macacua, the Chief of Staff of the Bangsamoro Islamic Armed Forces (BIAF), as the new interim chief minister vice Ebrahim.
Castro said Malacanang is aware of the congressional inquiry on the BARMM fund issue and respects the House Committee on Public Accounts’ call for the Commission on Audit to start an audit on the BARMM’s alleged release of LGSF only to favored barangays in the region.
“It is only right to give attention to what is being investigated there and to put right whatever needs to be corrected,” she said.
The House committee said over 400 barangays in Lanao del Sur province had received funds from the LGSF amounting to between P500,000 and P2.5 million.
MNLF PARTICIPATION
Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) chairman Muslimin Sema has asked for an expansion of the participation and involvement of their group in BARMM, Peace adviser Carlito Galvez Jr. said.
Galvez met with Sema in Cotabato City last Monday to discuss efforts to strengthen the collaboration among parties in the Bangsamoro to advance the peace and development efforts.
At present, the MNLF is handling only two ministries in BARMM – the Ministry of Trade Industry and Tourism under Minister Abuamri Taddik, and the Ministry of Labor and Employment under Sema.
Last Monday, Macacua issued a memorandum directing all BARMM ministers and heads of offices to continue with their duties “until the transition process is completed.”
Galvez and Sema also discussed the current Transformation Program for former MNLF members.
The MNLF Transformation Program is a realization of the government’s commitments under the 1996 Final Peace Agreement and aims to help MNLF combatants make the successful transition into productive, empowered, and self-reliant individuals.
