DAVAO CITY (September 1) – President Rodrigo Roa Duterte is asking the Bangsamoro people to participate in the upcoming plebiscite that will determine the territorial jurisdiction of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).
On July 27, Duterte signed Republic Act Number 11054 or the “Organic Law for the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao”.
Duterte encouraged the stakeholders to campaign for the law in their own communities.
“I ask my Moro brothers and sisters as well as the indigenous communities and settlers living within the Bangsamoro area to actively participate constructively about the law in your homes, in
your villages, and communities,” he said.
“But more importantly, I encourage you to take part in the upcoming plebiscite so that you may express your sovereign will through the ballot,” he added.
The territories that will be part of the BARMM will be determined in a plebiscite that will be held not earlier than 90 days or later than 150 days after the effectivity of the law.
According to the new law, the plebiscite will cover the provinces included under the present Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), six municipalities in the province of Lanao del Norte, 39 barangays in North Cotabato, the cities of Cotabato and Isabela in the province of Basilan, and those qualified for inclusion by way of petition or resolution.-NewsLine
