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The crescent moon shines ever so radiantly among the indigenous peoples who predominantly

comprised the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindano (ARMM). It was originally composed of four
provinces: Lanao del Sur, Maguindanao, Sulu, and Tawi-Tawi. The ARMM was established upon the
enactment on August 1, 1989 of RA 6734, which was the act providing for an organic act for the
autonomous region in Muslim Mindanao. The local residents consequently ratified the measure by way
of plebiscite on November 17, 1989.

An amendment to RA 6734 – RA 9054, strengthening and expanding the scope of the ARMM, was
passed on September 2001. The newer law included the province of Basilan as well as the City of
Marawi as part of this thriving autonomous region in the country’s southernmost islands.

The ARMM was home to the Bangsamoro people who possess a rich heritage of bravery and zeal. They
have successfully guarded their ancestral lands from foreign incursions for nearly five centuries, thus
preserving their culture, traditions, and Islam as the major religion of the inhabitants.

The ARMM has been crucial in ensuring the integrity and solidarity of the Filipino nation,
notwithstanding cultural and religious differences. The passage of the RA 6734 was ground-breaking
during its time as it was deemed to be the panacea that would cure the sociopolitical maladies affecting
Muslim Mindanao.

The ARMM embodied a distinct duality within the Philippine administrative framework – its aim was to
realize the Bangsamoro people’s long-standing desire for self-determination and governance as well as
an equally fervent aspiration to remain part of the Filipino nation. The ARMM was key to the Philippines’
nation-building and its creation was a clear expression of the country’s efforts to cement unity amidst
ethnic and religious diversity.

Administratively, the ARMM was headed by a Regional Governor. The sixth and last Regional Governor
of the ARMM was the Hon. Mujiv Hataman, whose term expired on February 26, 2019. The ARMM had
its own legislative body – the ARMM Regional Legislative Assembly. With respect to the enforcement of
laws, the ARMM had its own set of executive departments. The National Government exercised control
and supervision over the police and the military, while the Supreme Court of the Philippines oversaw the
administration of the ARMM’s Shari’ah Law courts.

The ARMM, however, was superseded by the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao
(BARMM). Informally known as the Bangsamoro, this new administrative polity replaced the ARMM by
virtue of the enactment of RA 11054, or the Bangsamoro Organic Law, and its subsequent ratification
through plebiscites on January 25, 2019 and February 6, 2019.

Presently, the Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA) is working on the seamless transformation of the
ARMM into the Bangsamoro. As the political and administrative successor to the ARMM, RA 11054
makes it clear that the Bangsamoro shall remain an integral and inseparable part of the national
territory of the Republic, consistent with the pertinent provisions in the 1987 Constitution.

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