MANILA - President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. on Friday led the mass oath-taking of the new members of the Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA).

The oath-taking ceremony held at Malacanan Palace was shared by presidential son and Ilocos Norte Rep. Ferdinand Alexander "Sandro" Marcos on his official Facebook page.

Executive Secretary Victor Rodriguez and Press Secretary Trixie Cruz-Angeles also confirmed the oath-taking of new BTA members.

President Marcos, Rodriguez said, administered the oath of office to BTA chief minister and members.

United Nations Resident Coordinator to the Philippines Gustavo Gonzales also attended the oath-taking rites, Rodriguez said.

The list of BTA members was also uploaded on the official Facebook page of the Bangsamoro government.

The roster contains the names of 80 appointees, including Ahod Ebrahim who was tapped as BTA interim chief minister.

"President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. administers the oath-taking ceremony of the following newly-appointed Members of the Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA) Parliament for 2022-2025 at the Malacanan Palace today, August 12, 2022," the Facebook post read.

The new BTA composition is dominated by Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) with 41 nominees and 39 from the government, according to the statement released by its Public Information, Publication and Media Relations Division.

Under Republic Act 11054 or the Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL), the BTA "shall be the interim government in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) during the transition period," with legislative and executive powers and functions of the Bangsamoro government.

The BOL also states that the MILF shall lead the BTA, without prejudice to the participation of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) in its membership.

The BTA shall be composed of 80 members who shall be appointed by the President. Forty-one of the 80 members shall come from the MILF, while the remaining 39 shall be from the Philippine government.

According to the BTA media affairs' press statement, the new members are lawyers, lawyer-certified public accountants, engineers, teachers, doctors, architects, media practitioners, politicians, former elected officials at the local levels and government bureaucrats.

They are the representatives from the provinces of Maguindanao, Lanao del Sur, Lanao del Norte, Sulu, Basilan, and Tawi-Tawi, as well as members of the Bangsamoro community in North Cotabato, indigenous peoples who are not Moro, the Kalagan or Kagan community in Davao Oriental, and Christian or settler communities in Davao City and Cotabato City.

The BTA is tasked with producing results that will address a variety of challenges, including peace and security concerns, poverty reduction, business and job creation and stability between ethnic clans and economic classes.

In 2021, former president Rodrigo Duterte signed a law moving the date of the first regular BARMM parliamentary and regional elections to May 2025. (PNA)