Senator Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. sees the need to strengthen the “language” of the proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) to ensure the 36,000 workers of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) will not become collateral damage once the ARMM is abolished and replaced by the Bangsamoro government.

Marcos issued the statement Wednesday, citing that the present employees of ARMM have expressed apprehension they might end up jobless once the Bangsamoro government replaces the ARMM.

“One of the concerns raised in all the places we go to conduct hearings (on the proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law) is the worry of the employees as to what will happen to them since ARMM will be abolished,” Marcos said in a press conference here.

Marcos said the apprehension of an unjust massive displacement of workers employed in the ARMM once the proposed BBL is enacted into a law was also raised during the public hearing he conducted Tuesday in Tawi-Tawi.

“I think we can strengthen the language (of the BBL) so that the guarantees are made explicit. We need no re-state the guarantees as laid out in the Civil Service Code but we can probably say that the guarantees on tenure, pay grade, etc. are maintained in this reorganization,” Marcos said.

Section 9 of Article 16 provides that the BTA (Bangsamoro Transition Authority) “shall schedule the gradual phase out of offices in the ARMM, which are deemed abolished upon the ratification of the Bangsamoro Basic Law.”

“This is where the worries are coming from. That’s why the BBL should be clear and explicit in protecting the interest of the workers by expressing that all the compensation and benefits under the Civil Service Code and other laws will be given,” Marcos said.

However, he clarified that not all of the offices existing under the ARMM would be abolished once the Bangsamoro government takes over.

Miriam Coronel-Ferrer said existing laws that guarantee the welfare of ARMM employees to be affected in the reorganization would properly be observed. (PNA)