Philippines: Muslim autonomous area picks first speaker

By Zuhal Demirci

ANKARA (AA) - The recently formed autonomous region for Muslims in the southern Philippines chose its first parliament speaker on Friday.

At the assembly’s first session, lawyer Ali Pangalian Balindong, a former congressman for Mindanao's Lanao del Sur province, was named speaker of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).

BARMM Prime Minister Al-Hajj Murad Ebrahim also attended the session, along with officials from the Istanbul-based IHH Humanitarian Relief Foundation and Huseyin Oruc, a member of the Moro Peace Process Monitoring Committee.

Oruc told Anadolu Agency that Ebrahim, who was appointed by Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte, would administer the Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA) through 2022.

The BTA has 80 members, 41 of whom are affiliated with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) while 39 were appointed by the central government, Oruc said.

The BTA holds legislative and executive power in the region, while the central government will maintain its primary position in the national and constitutional structure, including the sensitive defense and foreign affairs portfolios.

Earlier this year, a historic referendum was held in southern Mindanao granting Moro Muslims autonomy.

Friday’s parliament session also saw the election of Khalifa Nando as governor of the autonomous region, Oruc said.

- Autonomous government

Islamic law courts will be set up in the newly established region as the central government transfers administrative authority in Mindanao to the Bangsamoro government.

The Bangsamoro region’s territorial waters, meanwhile, will be managed by both the central government and the regional government, with the latter being responsible for the management of local energy resources.

Muslims will be free to conduct their personal affairs as they see fit, but will remain bound to the Philippines in terms of foreign policy, albeit with some flexibility.

Former fighters from both the MILF and the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) will be eligible to join the official armed forces.

* Writing by Jeyhun Aliyev