Bangsamoro chief minister makes call for investments

ANKARA

Thanking Turkey for its support, Chief Minister of Bangsamoro Autonomous Government (BAG) Haji Murad Ebrahim invited investors to explore opportunities in his region.

Speaking at the annual 28th International Congress of Muslim Communities Union in Ankara, Ebrahim said that under the transition agreement plan with the Philippine government led by Rodrigo Duterte, BAG is moving forward with an agenda of governance and development.

"As a representative of people of Bangsamoro, I invite our friends from different countries to explore opportunities as our region is filled with natural resources including minerals and make investments in our region," Ebrahim told the conference, hosted by Turkey-based Economic and Social Research Center.

At least 120 delegates from 60 countries are attending the annual gathering in the Turkish capital.

Turkey is one of the three member-states monitoring the implementation of an agreement reached between Duterte's government and Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) led by Ebrahim before he was sworn-in as chief minister early this year in February.

"We have challenges but friends like Turkey are helping us in many ways," he said. "We are sending our people to Turkey for training in bureaucracy and diplomacy and we expect other countries will come forward to help us succeed in our transition from a revolutionary movement to one which has an agenda of governance and development."

"We want to give an effective government to our people who have struggled for long," Ebrahim said.

In his address, the chairman of MILF explained the struggle of Bangsamoro people for justice and rights.

"We had no choice in 1968 than to launch Jihad to safeguard our children, women, identity and homeland," he added, referring to atrocities inflicted upon people living in the southern Philippines in the mid-twentieth century.

"It is a long struggle but now we are here with an achievement that we are able to govern," he said.

However, BAG chief minister acknowledged the challenge of the Daesh/ISIS group in the region.

"We have a small group affiliated to ISIS but we want to solve it for which we want to set up a structure with President Duterte's government," he said.

Ebrahim said: "We can still influence and attract this small group so that they join us. We are working, conducting dialogue with them."

Referring to his governance model, Ebrahim said: "It is a parliamentary form of government where we have 80 lawmakers. And government is run by 15 ministries."