Scope of new Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao set. Based on official results of second plebiscite, 6 towns of Lanao del Norte won’t be part of BARMM. But 63 of 67 villages in North Cotabato will be part of BARMM pic.twitter.com/rJOTboRMdb

— Christian Esguerra (@IanEsguerra) February 14, 2019

MANILA — The new self-governing region in the Philippines’ troubled south has been completed as the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) prepares for the tough task of running its transition bureaucracy for the next 3 years.

The inclusion of 63 of 67 villages in the province of North Cotabato further expands the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), which was created following the first round of plebiscite last Jan. 21.

But nearby Lanao del Norte prevented its 6 towns from joining the BARMM during the subsequent plebiscite on Feb. 6, based on official canvassing results announced Thursday.

These towns voted for inclusion but the plebiscite required that majority of the entire province agreed to it as well.

“The Commission on Elections, sitting en banc as a National Plebiscite Board of Canvassers, hereby proclaims that the municipalities of Baloi, Munai, Nunungan, Pantar, Tagoloan, and Tangkal, all of the province of Lanao del Norte, shall not form part of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao,” according to the resolution read by Commissioner Al Parreño.

Abdullah Macapaar, alias Commander Bravo, of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) had campaigned hard for the inclusion of these towns.

The MILF earlier nominated Macapaar to be part of the Bangsamoro Transition Authority, an 80-member interim government that will run the new region until the first regular elections in 2022.

In 2008, Macaapar and fellow MILF commander Ameril Umbra Kato launched attacks after the failed agreement that would have created a new Bangsamoro territory in Mindanao.

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CONSENSUS

Of the 67 communities in North Cotabato that participated in the Feb. 6 plebiscite, only the villages of Galidan, Balatican, Lower Mingading, and Pagangan will not be part of the BARMM.

The rest of the new region includes the 5 provinces of the former Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, and Cotabato City.

Isabela City in Basilan voted against joining BARMM even if the rest of the province favored its inclusion.

A Cotabato City-based policy center earlier said the MILF, the country’s largest Muslim rebel group, must work to “build consensus” and rally the regional government behind its “reform agenda.”

“Bakit pa tayo nagkaroon ng bagong Bangsamoro government? Precisely because people want change,” Benedicto Bacani, executive director of the Institute for Autonomy and Governance, told ABS-CBN News in a previous interview.

“People want to address historical injustice and the only way to address historical injustice is to have good governance, accountable governance, and real development on the ground.”

SUPREME COURT CASE

The newly ratified Bangsamoro Organic Law grants more power and autonomy to the country’s Muslim minority in Mindanao.

The MILF is expected to lead the BTA, which will include the 25 elected officials of the ARMM until their terms expire in June this year.

Francisco Lara Jr., senior adviser at International Alert Philippines, said the MILF should also work to “strengthen the inclusion of groups” that initially did not support the BOL’s ratification.

The province of Sulu remains part of the BARMM even if majority of its residents voted against the BOL.

The law lacked an “opt-out” provision, a legal issue raised by the province’s governor before the Supreme Court.

Cotabato City’s inclusion was won despite strong objections from its mayor, who questioned the plebiscite results, claiming MILF supporters harassed voters.