An official of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) lauded Tuesday Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Benhur Abalos for his commitment to support the programs for local government units in the region.

Lawyer Naguib Sinarimbo, BARMM interior minister and concurrent regional spokesperson, said he and his team met with Abalos Monday in Manila and updated him on the work of the DILG counterpart in BARMM – the Ministry of the Interior and Local Government (MILG).

“We discuss wide-ranging issues including devolution and the Mandanas ruling as well as developments in the BARMM and key strategies for optimizing the performance of LGUs,” Sinarimbo said in a statement.

He said Abalos was delighted to learn of “our complementation in several areas such as the provision of municipal police stations, police cars, and our support to other DILG linked institutions such as the Bureau of Fire Protection.”

Sinarimbo said Abalos has committed to continue supporting the region.

Abalos has also agreed to immediately address, in partnership with BARMM, the issue of policing in the 63 barangays from North Cotabato that joined the fledgling autonomous region.

Sixty-three villages in North Cotabato now form part of BARMM after they opted to join the new political setup during a two-plebiscite in 2019.

However, the 63 villages are yet to be constituted into a new political subdivision as a municipality or a province. (PNA)