COTABATO CITY (November 1) — Basilan Governor Mujiv Hataman has urged political leaders, local governments, and other sectors to set aside partisan differences and focus on delivering results for ordinary people after the election of Chief Minister Abdulraof Macacua and the organization of the Bangsamoro Parliament.
In a Facebook statement on Sunday, Hataman described the transition to the region’s first regular parliamentary government as the opening of “a new chapter” in the history of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM). He stressed that the harder work of governance now begins.
“But beyond the election of our leaders and the organization of Parliament, the real challenge begins: how we govern, how we deliver, and how we make the Bangsamoro Government work for our people,” he said.
Hataman pointed to several pressing concerns the new administration must confront, including the anticipated effects of El Niño on communities, limited employment opportunities, and ongoing difficulties in basic and functional literacy.
He also highlighted poverty, incomplete access to basic services, and other long-standing problems across the region.
Maintaining peace and stability, he added, remains essential so communities can live without fear and take advantage of better opportunities, while protecting the gains of the peace process.
He emphasized that neither the Chief Minister nor the regional government can address these issues alone. Cooperation, he said, must extend across political party lines—from the Parliament to provincial, city, municipal, and barangay levels—and include civil society and the private sector.
“Tapos na ang usapin kung sino ang mamumuno. Ang mas mahalagang tanong ngayon ay kung paano natin sama-samang paglingkuran ang Bangsamoro (The matter of who will lead has been settled. The more important question now is how we can collectively serve the Bangsamoro).” Hataman said.
He placed good governance at the core of the new administration’s agenda.
“Transparency, accountability, and responsible use of public resources should not merely be promises,” he said. “They must be reflected in how government decisions are made, how public funds are spent, and how services reach our communities.”
The real test of the new government, according to Hataman, “will not be measured by who occupies positions of power, but by whether ordinary Bangsamoro families experience meaningful improvements in their daily lives.”
“Ang BARMM ay hindi para sa mga partido o sa mga politiko. Ang BARMM ay para sa ordinaryong mamamayang Bangsamoro,” he added.
Hataman previously served as regional governor of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) from 2011 to 2019. He later served as the representative of Basilan’s lone congressional district before winning the governorship of the province.-Taher G. Solaiman
