In pursuit of the Filipino people’s collective vision of achieving genuine and long-lasting peace, unity, reconciliation, and prosperity, President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. underscored that a robust Bangsamoro region is an integral part of a “Bagong Pilipinas.”
“Bagong Pilipinas is incomplete without a Bagong Bangsamoro rising along and within it,” the President said during the 17th National Government-Bangsamoro Government Intergovernmental Relations Body (IGRB) meeting on Thursday, January 8.
“A stronger BARMM (Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao) means a stronger Mindanao, and a stronger Mindanao means a stronger Philippines, bringing us closer to achieving our Prosperity Agenda,” he emphasized.
Under Section 2, Article VI of the Bangsamoro Organic Law, the IGRB was created to coordinate and resolve issues between the two parties through regular consultation and continuing negotiation in a non-adversarial manner.
The President said that the IGRB meeting, the sixth under his administration, “reaffirms our shared commitment not just to peace, but peace with progress.”
“It builds on the gains of the past, fueled by mutual trust, guided by lessons learned, and inspired by the many wins, which give us the confidence that our shared vision for the Bangsamoro will be fully realized,” he noted.
“We are acting with dispatch not because of the deadlines we have set, but because a people, battered by war for years, should not be denied their destiny to live in peace,” the President added
According to the Chief Executive, the joint efforts of the National and Bangsamoro governments have significantly contributed to the crafting of key legislation, such as the region’s priority codes.
“This democratic hallmark of finding common ground – through consensus, not conflict – is what also led to the rich harvest of Bangsamoro enacted laws,” President Marcos said.
To date, the Bangsamoro Transition Authority has passed five of its priority laws which include the administrative, civil service, education, electoral, and local governance codes.
President Marcos said that the impact of all the interventions being carried out by the BARMM leadership during the transition period will be validated in May 2025 when the BARMM holds its first regular elections.
He thus called on Bangsamoro officials to respect the sanctity of the democratic process in the region, “Giving the vote to the people to choose their leaders is the logical follow-up to the grant of self-rule to your land.”
He urged them to make this first election a success, saying, “Show the whole world that it is peaceful and credible.”
The President, however, reminded the Bangsamoro leadership: “On this, let me be blunt in my warning as it is what our people want: Let not one bullet disenfranchise one single ballot. After the elections, it will be a new chapter for BARMM.”
He is optimistic that the conduct of the first regular elections in the region will be a success, emphasizing that, “What gives me hope is the belief that you have prepared well. You are ripe and ready.”
President reminded everyone of the significance of the first elections to the region and the Bangsamoro people.
“As we mark this historic day, let us never forget the debt we owe to those who perished during the long night, from all sides, brothers all, combatants and civilians, whose blood nourished the land so peace can finally bloom,” he said
“We owe it to our children, and our grandchildren, that the horrors and the harrows of the past must never visit them again; that as brothers and sisters united under one nation, we can forge a better future in a kinder society where opportunities reward hard work, dreams come true, and peace with justice reigns,” the President added.
