COTABATO CITY — The Bangsamoro leadership has rejected the courtesy resignation of Labor and Employment Minister Muslimin G. Sema, making him the first to be retained among all officials asked to leave for changes in the region’s ministerial structure.
Copies of the directive of Chief Minister Ahod Balawag Ebrahim retaining the chairman of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) as labor minister were released to reporters here on Tuesday afternoon.
“The rejection of BARMM’s chief minister of my courtesy resignation is an indication that he wants inclusivity, multi-sectoral involvement in managing the Bangsamoro government,” Mr. Sema said of the directive of Mr. Ebrahim, who is also the figurehead of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).
For decades, both the MNLF and MILF waged secessionist uprisings in Mindanao, but have subsequently signed separate peace agreements with the government. Now they are partners in overseeing the development initiatives of the four-year BARMM government. — John Felix M. Unson