President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. on Monday urged the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) and other stakeholders in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) to ensure a peaceful and credible election next year.

Marcos made the call at the opening of this year’s National Peace Consciousness Month and the Commemoration of the 28th Anniversary of the 1996 Final Peace Agreement with the MNLF at Malacañang.

Then President Rodrigo Duterte signed Republic Act 11593 moving the BARMM’s first regular election from May 2023 to May 2025, synchronizing it with the midterm elections.

The BARMM is comprised of the provinces of Sulu, Basilan, Lanao del Sur, Maguindanao and Tawi-Tawi.

“The forthcoming election is an important reminder not only of the democracy that empowers us to mold our destinies but also of the visionaries who paved the way for the freedom that we [all] relish today,” Marcos said.

Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation, and Unity Carlito Galvez Jr. earlier said the BARMM election was rescheduled to complete the programs that were sidetracked by the Covid-19 pandemic.

The poll deferment allowed the members of the transition authority to continue heading the BARMM interim government.

Galvez thanked Marcos for his “unwavering resolve” to uphold the peace and transform the lives of former combatants, including their families and communities. “His commitment is especially important as we approach the first-ever Bangsamoro election next year,” he said.