COTABATO CITY, Philippines — All is set for the inaugural session of the 80-seat parliament of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao on Friday, October 30, in BARMM's capitol here, now guarded by no fewer than a thousand policemen and soldiers.
Talks are circulating here and in BARMM provinces stating that President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. will attend the session of the 80 newly elected lawmakers.
Classes in all schools in Cotabato City have been suspended since Monday and employees of all ministries and support agencies of the BARMM government are on "work-from-home mode" too as part of the security measures meant to ensure the safety of the event.
Local community leaders, residents and members of big business organizations in Cotabato City have posted on Facebook about their mixed feelings and apprehensions of security issues during the activity, the first ever since the BARMM's creation in 2019, replacing then the 27-year less empowered Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.
Brig. Gen. Edgar Catu, commander of the Army’s 6th Infantry Division, and Col. Jibin Bongcayao, director of the Cotabato City Police Office, on Thursday separately refuted Facebook posts stating that the entire city had been locked down in preparation for Friday afternoon's gathering of regional lawmakers.
“That is not true,” Catu told reporters on Thursday morning.
Catu and Brig. Gen. Christopher Abecia, director of the Police Regional Office-Bangsamoro Autonomous Region, separately told reporters that there are now enough policemen and soldiers in strategic areas in the city and inside the BARMM capitol, tasked to do their best in keeping peace and calm for the whole duration of the activity, to be attended, likely, by local executives and peace activists from across the autonomous region.
Members of the BARMM parliament from 2019 until the first ever regional parliamentary polls last September 14 and their pioneer chief minister, Ahod Ebrahim and, subsequently, Abdulraof Macacua, functioned merely as presidential appointees, without electoral mandate.
Officials of different offices in BARMM are expecting the election, via nomination, of the region’s chief minister during the first regular session of the parliament this Friday.
At least 46 regional lawmakers, out of the 80 elected on September 14, among them Macacua, had formed a bloc two weeks ago in Davao City and together pledged to work out his stay as the region’s chief minister during their first regular session.
All five provincial governors in BARMM, Tucao Mastura of Maguindanao del Norte, Ali Midtimbang of Maguindanao del Sur, Mamintal Adiong, Jr. of Lanao del Sur, Mujiv Hataman of Basilan and Ysmael Ali of Tawi-Tawi had also crossed political party lines and manifested, via an official statement, their wish for Macacua to stay as figurehead of the parliament
BARMM’s duly-nominated minister shall lead the 80-member parliament and oversee the operation of all ministries and support agencies under its regional government.
Policemen and soldiers on Thursday morning closed down to passenger vehicles the Governor Gutierrez Avenue in this city, the main route to the BARMM capitol, subjecting all private vehicles passing through rigid inspections.
Bongcayao said police personnel in Cotabato City involved in the security operations are backed by different units directly under PRO-BAR and personnel of the municipal police stations in different towns in the BARMM provinces.