MANILA, Philippines – The Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) will be inaugurated on Friday, March 29, kickstarting the work of the newly-created Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA).

The Bangsamoro Parliament, composed of BTA members, also held its First Session on Friday, paving the way for the new region’s laws. 

There are at present 75 BTA members, all appointed by President Rodrigo Duterte. They are led by Interim Chief Minister Murad Ebrahim (real name Ahod Balawag Ebrahim). 

In this article, we break down the BTA’s composition, looking at how many women and men there are, the background and expertise of each member, and their places of origin.

We did not include in our breakdown the 24 former ARMM (Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao) officials automatically included in the BTA but who will be members only until June 30, when their terms end.

Here’s a quick look at our findings:

• Men far outnumber the women.
• Most BTA members come from Maguindanao and Lanao del Sur.
• As expected, the BTA is dominated by Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) nominees, with only 9 Moro National Liberation Front nominees and 26 government nominees.
• Members are a mix of lawyers, former rebel soldiers, traditional leaders, former government officials, civil society, and youth leaders. There’s an architect and a doctor. 

Gender composition

Hover over the human figures to see the number per gender.

Women make up about 16% of the BTA, with about 12 of the 75 members female. 

MILF, MNLF, government nominees

Hover over the human figures to see the number of MILF, MNLF, and government nominees.

Majority of members of the BTA were from the MILF as they were the dominant group responsible for laying the groundwork of the Bangsamoro Law. In line with this, the Bangsamoro Law also stated the BTA would be led by the MILF. 

Mapping out BTA members’ origins

Hover over the spots in the map to see the number of BTA members who come from the province.

Background, expertise of BTA members

Duterte has to appoint 5 more members to complete what is supposed to be an 80-member body. One of those 5 will be nominated by the MILF as they will take the place of top MILF leader Ghazali Jaafar, who passed away on March 13.

Bangsamoro Interim Cabinet

Murad has also named the members of his Cabinet who are expected to take their oath this Friday, March 29.

• Murad Ebrahim – Ministry of Public Works and Highways (concurrent with his role as Interim Chief Minister)
• Architect Eduard Guerra – Ministry of Finance and Budget Management
• Lawyer Raissa Jajurie – Ministry of Social Sevices
• Mohagher Iqbal – Ministry of Basic, Higher and Technical Education
• Doctor Safrullah Dipatuan – Ministry of Health
• Lawyer Naguib Sinarimbo – Ministry of Local Government
• Abdulraof Macacua – Ministry of Environment, Natural Resources and Energy
• Mohammad Yacob – Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Agrarian Reform
• Hussein Munoz – Ministry of Public Order and Safety
• Timuay Melanio Ulama – Ministry of Indigenous People’s Affairs

Bangsamoro Parliament

On Friday, the BTA held its First Session as a Parliament where they elected the Parliament officers. They are the following:

• Speaker: Ali Pangalian Balindong
• Deputy Speaker: Hatimil Hassan
• Majority Leader: Lanang Ali Jr
• Minority Leader: Laisa Alamia

What comes next?  Within the first 60 days after the BTA takes charge, Murad will need to submit a proposed transition plan, which will detail next steps as ARMM phases out to make way for BARMM.

The transition plan will contain an organizational plan and implementation schedule, which will then be reviewed and approved by the BTA as a whole.

After seeing majority of residents vote to ratify the Bangsamoro law, the challenge for the MILF is to build the foundations of the new Bangsamoro region. 

The BTA will have the task of delivering results that the Bangsamoro people expect from the BOL: peace and security, reduced poverty, development of business and jobs, and stability among ethnic clans and economic classes, among others.

What are some of the BTA’s priorities? The BTA will be in charge of governing the Bangsamoro region for the next 3 years.

Its first steps will include crafting laws that will serve as the foundation for its governance, namely administrative, local government, and electoral codes.

It needs to set up the BARMM bureaucracy, especially the line agencies that will be tasked with delivering basic services and implementing key programs – from critical infrastructure to protecting and using natural resources.

Murad has said the BTA will prioritize education, health services, social services, and infrastructure.

The Chief Minister and his Cabinet will be in charge of executing laws and programs. The BTA, sitting as a Parliament, will exercise the legislative functions.

Also among the BTA’s 55 powers is the administration of its own justice system, raising of funds through tax collection, alteration of boundaries of municipalities and barangays, and development of culture and education. – Rappler.com