Bangsamoro leaders seek special prosecutor for SGA-BARMM
COTABATO CITY — The Bangsamoro government has asked the Department of Justice (DOJ) to assign a special prosecutor in the Special Geographic Area (SGA) of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).
Chief Minister Abdulraof Macacua and Bangsamoro Interior and Local Government Minister Jordan Bayam on Tuesday asked Justice Secretary Frederick Vida to assign a special prosecutor to SGA-BARMM, citing the need to ensure residents have access to essential prosecutorial services without difficulty.
Bayam said they wanted to ensure that communities have access to justice and give former Moro combatants more opportunities to rebuild their lives.
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Macacua and Bayam met with Vida and Melvin Matibag, director of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), on Tuesday in General Santos City, who were there for a meeting with local officials in Mindanao.
In a statement, Bayam stressed that a prosecutor in SGA-BARMM would help address gaps in the justice system, facilitate cases, and strengthen the government’s ability to uphold the rule of law and protect communities.
He also appealed to the national government, through the DOJ, to extend the amnesty program for qualified former combatants of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF).
Bayam said giving former combatants more time to process their amnesty applications would allow them to submit documentary requirements and move forward with their reintegration into peaceful civilian life.
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Vida told BARMM officials that they are seriously considering their requests.
SGA-BARMM comprises eight towns carved out from North Cotabato that joined the autonomous setup in the 2019 plebiscite. It has yet to be constituted as a province and become BARMM’s sixth provincial government./coa
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