Tolentino urges Sulu transition fund

Various government agencies should work together to come up with a transition fund that is urgently needed to cover the expenses of Sulu province following its severance from the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.

Senate Majority Leader Francis Tolentino made the call during Thursday’s hearing on the proposed budget for 2025 of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) and its attached agencies.

Tolentino, who presided over the sub-committee hearing, asked Interior Secretary Benhur Abalos how the agency has been assisting Sulu, as the latter transitions from the BARMM to Region IX.

Region IX, the Zamboanga Peninsula, is presumed to be the region that would take administrative jurisdiction over the province.

“As we discuss this, there is no budget for Sulu’s police vehicles, so how can they conduct patrols? The funding for the salaries of DILG personnel in the province has stopped,” Tolentino said.

“You have regional officers in Region IX, and perhaps Sulu will be transferred there. What happens now to Sulu? Is it possible to carve out something from your budget allocation to form a Sulu fund? This could come from a small share from each agency, but if pooled, this transition fund could be substantial enough,” the senator told Abalos.

Not anticipated

In response, Abalos said that just like other agencies, the DILG did not anticipate the exclusion of Sulu from the BARMM, based on the recent decision of the Supreme Court, which he noted is immediately executory.

“We are coordinating with the Ministry of the Interior Local Government of BARMM if it would be possible to keep the status quo,” the DILG chief said.

“By the same token, we face a dilemma on how to raise these funds from what we currently have. It is difficult, but we’re trying to scrape some funds together using every means possible,” he added.

Tolentino then turned to the Department of Budget and Management to ask whether the agency had come up with a directive to guide government agencies in assisting the province.