Cotabato City and 63 barangays in North Cotabato are now under the jurisdiction of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).
Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Eduardo Año led the turnover ceremony Tuesday. This means that the programs and projects for the development of Cotabato City and 63 barangays in North Cotabato will now be led by the BARMM government but the national government will still assist the said areas.
BARMM Chief Minister Ahod Ebrahim thanked President Rodrigo R. Duterte for his continued support on the improvement of the BARMM government. Ebhrahim also assured the Cotabato residents that this will be the start of a comfortable life for them.
“Sa turnover na ito, lahat tayo panalo. Walang talo. Lahat tayo makakaranas ng ginhawa (In this turnover we are all winners. There are no losers. We will all experience comfort).”
Meanwhile, Cotabato City Mayor Frances Cynthia Guiani did not attend the ceremony due to the fear of death threats.
“There will be no significant changes and as stated under the Law, ‘the privileges already enjoyed by local government units under Republic Act No. 7160, otherwise known as the Local Government Code of 1991, as amended, and other existing laws shall not be diminished,’” she assured. – Report from Bea Bernardo
