COTABATO CITY – The Philippine national colors and and the Bangsamoro flag now fly at half-mast across the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) following the death of former President Benigno Simeon “Noynoy” Aquino III.
The 80-member Bangsamoro Transition Authority’s (BTA) adopted a resolution Thursday where the body’s members expressed their sincere condolences and sympathy the Aquino family on the demise of the 61-year-old former chief executive.
BTA Speaker Pangalian Balindong said their plenary received three draft resolutions, all of which recognized Aquino’s contributions to peace and development in the Bangsamoro.
“The BTA expresses its gratitude for selfless contributions on the pursuit towards peace and development in the defunct Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao and the current BARMM,” the approved consolidated resolution said.
The BARMM lawmakers said Aquino backed the passing of Republic Act No. 10153, which synchronized ARMM polls with national elections, to pave the way for reform measures in preparation for the Bangsamoro transition.
He also pushed for the Mindanao peace process with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) by hosting a meeting with Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) chair and now BARMM Chief Minister Murad Ebrahim on August 4, 2011, in Tokyo, Japan.
The Philippine government and MILF signed the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro, which incorporated all GPH-MILF accords, during Aquino’s presidency. The documents include the Framework Agreement on the Bangsamoro and its four annexes, which completed negotiations that spanned 17 years.
The resolution also recognized Aquino’s commitment to finding a solution to the Mindanao conflict that led to a significant breakthrough in the Bangsamoro peace process.
The BTA Resolution also said President Aquino “will be remembered as Chief Executive who laid the foundations of the current Bangsamoro government and initiated the many reforms in the entire Muslim Mindanao region.”