Ben Madilynn
DEPUTY Minority Leader and Basilan Representative Mujiv Hataman on Tuesday, September 10, 2024, expressed mixed feelings about the Supreme Court (SC) ruling validating the Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL) while excluding Sulu from the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).
“Habang ikinagagalak natin ang desisyon ng Mataas na Hukuman ukol sa BOL, hindi natin maikukubli ang ating kalungkutan at pagkadismaya sa hatol na hindi bahagi ng Bangsamoro region ang Sulu (While we are happy with the decision of the High Court regarding the BOL, we cannot hide our sadness and disappointment with the verdict that Sulu is not part of the Bangsamoro region),” Hataman said in a statement.
“Kahit ilang ulit nating balikan ang kasaysayan, ang Sulu ang duyan ng pakikibaka para sa isang malayang Bangsamoro. Mula noon hanggang ngayon, ito ay nananatiling simbolo ng paglaban ng mga Moro laban sa panunupil (No matter how many times we go back in history, Sulu is the cradle of the struggle for an independent Bangsamoro. From then until now, it remains a symbol of the Moros’ resistance against oppression),” Hataman added.
Hataman has first serve as Office-in-Charge from December 2011 until May 2013 and elected as governor of the defunct ARMM on May 12, 2013.
The SC has upheld the validity of Republic Act 11054 or the Organic Law for the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (Bangsamoro Organic Law) but declared the Province of Sulu not part of BARMM after the province rejected the law’s ratification.
The passage of BOL established the BARMM in 2019. The court’s decision to exclude Sulu from the BARMM boundaries has sparked mixed reactions across the region
“Ang kwento ng mga magigiting na mandirigma ng Sulu ay bahagi ng naratiba ng Bangsamoro. Maraming bayani at mujahideen mula sa Moro National Liberation Front ay galing sa lalawigan ito (The story of the brave warriors of Sulu is part of the Bangsamoro narrative. Many heroes and mujahideen from the Moro National Liberation Front are from this province),” Hataman said.
Hataman also reflected on the impact of the court’s decision on the broader Bangsamoro movement.
“Hindi kumpleto ang Bangsamoro kapag wala ang Sulu. Isang malaking dagok ito sa aming pagsisikap na maisulong ang pagkakaisa at pagkakabuklod-buklod ng mga lalawigan sa rehiyon (Bangsamoro is incomplete without Sulu. This is a big blow to our efforts to promote the unity and bonding of the provinces in the region),” he said. (SunStar Zamboanga)
