MANILA, Philippines – The Marcos Jr. administration has begun enforcing a 2024 Supreme Court ruling that excluded the province of Sulu from the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), placing it under Region IX or the Zamboanga Peninsula region. This decision has significant consequences, affecting the daily lives of thousands of public servants and the communities they serve. Over 5,000 government field workers assigned to BARMM ministries in Sulu are now in administrative limbo, with their future uncertain due to the political and territorial shift.
The ruling stems from Sulu’s 2019 vote against the ratification of the Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL). For years, basic services in Sulu were funded through the BARMM block grant, a guaranteed annual allocation from the national government. However, with the administrative transfer, this fiscal support from the BARMM no longer has a legal anchor in Sulu. Naguib Sinarimbo, a member of the Bangsamoro parliament, expressed concern for the workforce and the people of Sulu who rely on basic services provided by BARMM.
Sinarimbo stated that those who campaigned and voted against the 2019 ratification of the BOL failed to grasp its fiscal implications. The Sulu provincial and municipal governments will now assume responsibility for funding basic services previously financed by the Bangsamoro regional government. Don Loong, a Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA) member, noted that the BARMM has funded around P10 billion worth of infrastructure projects in Sulu over the past five years and allocates about P1.2 billion annually for health services in the province.
President Marcos has created a technical working group to oversee Sulu’s transition out of the BARMM, with a 15-day deadline to propose measures, including fund realignment, staffing changes, and program transfers. The group is led by Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin and co-chaired by Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman, Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla, and Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro.
Journalist Ali Macabalang expressed sadness over the political and territorial shifts in the BARMM, particularly in Sulu, which is the birthplace of the Bangsamoro revolution. Macabalang blamed the Tan political dynasty of Sulu, particularly Vice Governor Abdusakur Tan, for the bureaucratic confusion. Tan’s son, Governor Abdusakur Tan II, filed the petition questioning the constitutionality of the 2019 Bangsamoro law, leading to Sulu’s separation from the BARMM.
Vice Governor Tan stated that he had no regrets over the legal challenge and expects the national government to absorb affected workers starting in 2026. He claimed that Sulu officials and residents are pleased to be part of Region IX and that there is no problem with the transition. However, the fate of the affected government workers and the communities they serve remains uncertain, with the future of basic services in Sulu hanging in the balance.
