Deputy Minority Leader and Basilan Rep. Mujiv Hataman asked the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) to secure the funds needed to finance the provincial government’s operations of Sulu, that includes essential services to the people.
Hataman made the appeal after the Supreme Court has declared as final the exclusion of Sulu from the Bangsamoro region.
The SC recently decided on several motions for reconsideration on its exclusion of Sulu from the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), a decision that has become final and executory.
Hataman pointed out that Sulu’s exclusion from BARMM entails a direct responsibility for the national government to provide its funding.
During the second hearing on the proposal to reset the BARMM elections from 2025 to May 2026, Hataman told the DBM to find a way to provide funding for Sulu, which is roughly P9 billion based on data coming from BARMM officials.
“The target budget deficit for 2025 is roughly P1.53 trillion and securing P9 billion for Sulu would be a challenge for the national government,” said Hataman. Since the SC decision to exclude Sulu from BARMM happened only recently, there is no funding for Sulu under the proposed P6.352 trillion national budget for 2025.
