By Masiding Noor Yahya

A group of Muslim leaders have asked the leadership of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) for the resettlement of displaced individuals such as the deportees from Sabah, expatriated Muslim OFWs, and displaced Muslims now in Luzon and Visayas.

In a letter on August 25, addressed to Ahod “Al Haj Murad Ebrahim” Balawag, Bangsamoro chief minister, and to members of the Bangsamoro Parliament, the group said they are writing for the treatment of externally and internally displaced individuals. “We enjoin the Interim Chief Minister, and the good Members of the Parliament, to examine the potential of this time to address our issues in the past (one for a secured and peaceful living) starting with settlement for our people,” they said.

The letter was signed by Imam (P/COL) Ebra M. Moxsir, President, Imam Council of the Philippines, Inc. and Chairman, Muslim Inter-Organizational Meeting, Lanao Del Sur; Jadjurie H. Arasa, Chairman, Muslim Consultative Council, Taguig City, Jolo, Sulu; Ustadh Muammar M Adam, Arabic Instructor, Secretariat, Overseas Workers Welfare Administration, Barangay Bawing, General Santos City; Alireza C. Kunting, Secretariat, Muslim Inter-Organizational Meeting, Sapa Tandubas, Tawi-Tawi; H. Abdulatif S. Sangcupan, President/CEO, Halal Development Institute of the Philippines, Simsiman, Pigcawayan, North Cotabato.

The group also called for practical solutions to address the issue, though this has been rooted in history and part of a divisive public debate.

“We call for a comprehensive resettlement plan critical at this time — one that includes addressing the inconsistencies in legal and land laws in Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), the landscape and mapping of settlements in Mindanao, and a concrete plan for monitoring and evaluation,” they added.

They said this should be a concerted effort through coordination with the National Commission on Muslim Filipinos (NCMF) and other concerned agencies. “We could only emphasize enough on your capacity and leadership to set the direction as deemed fit to address this issue,” they said.

The group lauded the efforts of the government in addressing the many pressing issues in Muslim Mindanao and hoped for the Chief Minister’s commitment to this settlement concern. Muslimedia.PH