MANILA, Philippines — President Rodrigo Duterte swore in Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) chairman Al Hajj Murad Ebrahim on Friday as the interim Chief Minister of the newly formed Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM). Murad will lead the 80-member Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA), which will govern the five-province Bangsamoro region until the election of the regular members of its Parliament in 2022. ADVERTISEMENTThe BARMM was created by virtue of the ratification of the Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL), which was a product of the government’s negotiations with the MILF. The incumbent elected officials of the now-defunct Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, which the BARMM replaced, will also be part of the BTA until June 30, 2019, or until their term ends. “I guarantee that you and this administration will use all the resources within its disposal to ensure better governance and inclusive political empowerment in this new Bangsamoro region,” he added.

Source: Philippine Daily Inquirer February 22, 2019 10:03 UTC