The peace panels of the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) are putting together a team that would coordinate preparations for the smooth transition of government functions from the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) to the Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA).
In a press statement, government peace panel head Miriam Coronel-Ferrer said the creation of the composite team was agreed upon during the three-day meeting held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia last September 27 to 29. She said the team will be in charge of all the preparations in anticipation of the passage of the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) by Congress and its subsequent ratification through a plebiscite.
“The composite team will be made up of members coming from the central and ARMM governments and the MILF,” Ferrer said.
“The terms of reference of said composite team is being drafted and is expected to be signed soon,” she added.
Job loss fears to be addressed
Ferrer said that among the supposed functions of the composite team is to address the concerns of thousands of ARMM employees who might get affected by the transition.
“The Civil Service Commission and other relevant agencies will be consulted to ensure a smooth transition,” Ferrer said.
The Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP)-Nagkaisa had earlier estimated that about 24,000 government workers in the ARMM might lose their jobs once the region is dissolved and replaced by the Bangsamoro government.
The TUCP-Nagkaisa said the Civil Service Commission (CSC) should make sure that the existing workforce will be integrated into the new Bangsamoro government through "lateral transfer and merit-based integration."
Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process Teresita Quintos Deles said that civil service rules will be followed and civil service eligibilities and entitlements of ARMM employees will be respected during the transition phase.
“We imagine that there may be some reorganization of the governmental structures in consonance with the proposed ministerial form [of government of the Bangsamoro],” Deles said, emphasizing that, “certainly in doing that, there will be a clear plan, separation benefits if necessary.”
“We’ll follow the laws of the land. Certainly to those who have civil service eligibility, we’ll have different options open to them such as being transferred to another area or by choice, being separated with due compensation. This will all undergo due process,” Deles said.
Deles added that the transition process will only begin once the BBL is passed and ratified in a plebiscite.
BTA interim government
The BBL will serve as the legal basis for the creation of the Bangsamoro juridical entity that will replace the ARMM.
Under the Comprehensive Agreement of the Bangsamoro (CAB) signed between the government and the MILF last March, the BTA shall serve as the interim government prior to the establishment of the Bangsamoro government and the assumption of its elected leaders in 2016.
According to the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPPAP), aside from the creation of the composite team, both panels have recently formalized the bodies and mechanisms that will roll out the normalization plans stated under the CAB.
These bodies include the Independent Decommissioning Body (IDB), which shall oversee the decommissioning of firearms of MILF combatants; the Joint Normalization Body (JNC), which shall coordinate the different normalization processes and mechanisms; and the Transitional Justice and Reconciliation Commission (TJRC) which, under the CAB, “shall study and recommend the appropriate mechanisms to address legitimate grievances of the Bangsamoro people, correct historical injustices, and address human rights violations through land dispossession.” — Elizabeth Marcelo/BM, GMA News
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