By John M. Unson

COTABATO CITY - Leaders in an old, historic town in Maguindanao del Norte are opposed to efforts of the Bangsamoro parliament to create two new local government units in the area covering several barangays under its jurisdiction.

Barangay officials in Datu Odin Sinsuat town told reporters during a dialogue on the issue Monday that they have signed a resolution opposing the creation of the Datu Sinsuat Balabaran municipality via a bill authored by lawyer Lanang Tapodoc Ali, Jr., a member of the 80-seat parliament of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.

Bai Ivie Rose S. Sinsuat, chairwoman of Barangay Tamontaka and president of the Association of Barangay Captains in Datu Odin Sinsuat, said fusing 13 barangays together, out of the 34 barangays in their municipality, to become Datu Sinsuat Balabaran town can cause discord among local leaders and their respective constituents.

“We are urging the BARMM parliament to listen to us. We are against that bill aiming to create a municipality covering several barangays, one of which is under my jurisdiction,” Sinsuat said, referring to the bill that Ali sponsored, now pending in the regional parliament.

Ali, who belongs to the majority bloc in the BARMM parliament, had also proposed a separate enabling measure for the creation of the municipality of Sheik Abas Hamsa, also to comprise several barangays in the territory of Datu Odin Sinsuat.

Members of the Datu Odin Sinsuat Sangguniang Bayan had expressed opposition to both proposals in a press briefing early on.

Sinsuat and the chairpersons of the 12 other barangays that are to be grouped together as the Datu Sinsuat Balabaran town separately told reporters, during Monday’s forum in Tamontaka, that their constituents will vote against the enabling measure for the creation of Datu Sinsuat Balabaran if presented to them for ratification via a plebiscite. (A reprint from NDBC News)