Marcos signs EO transferring Sulu from BARMM to Zamboanga Peninsula

President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. signed Executive Order (EO) 91 on July 30, transferring Sulu from the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) to Zamboanga Peninsula.

The president has since declared Sulu under Zamboanga Peninsula or Region IX, emphasizing the urgent need to address the impacts of the Supreme Court decision that upheld Sulu's exclusion from BARMM following a 2019 plebiscite where voters rejected the Bangsamoro Organic Law.

A technical working group (TWG), chaired by the Budget Secretary, oversees the implementation of the SC decision and prepares a transition plan to address any issues arising from the SC ruling.

Personnel affected by the transition have options for transfer or retirement with separation incentives provided, but are barred from reemployment in executive branch agencies for five years starting 2026.

Funding requirements for programs, activities, and projects (PAPs) transferred to national government agencies during the first year of EO 71 will be sourced from existing appropriations available until December 31, 2025.

Sulu's exclusion from BARMM upholds the decision made by Sulu voters in a 2019 plebiscite where they chose not to ratify the Bangsamoro Organic Law.

The first parliamentary polls for the BARMM are set for October 13, with seven Bangsamoro Parliament seats meant for Sulu temporarily vacant as Congress has yet to pass a law reallocating these positions.