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

“I also call on the MNLF and other stakeholders of BARMM to ensure a peaceful, orderly, and credible conduct of the 1st Bangsamoro Elections next year,” Marcos said as he graced 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 Malacañan Palace on Monday.

Marcos made this call as the government is already cascading preparations for the upcoming BARMM parliamentary elections.

The BARMM's first regular election has been reset from May 2023 to May 2025, after former President Rodrigo Duterte signed the Republic Act No. 11593, which moves the date of the BARMM parliamentary and regional elections, synchronized with the next midterm elections.

BARMM region 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 stressed.

Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation, and Unity Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr. earlier said the rescheduling of the BARMM elections sought to be beneficial to completing the transitional programs and regional projects that were hampered by the previous onslaught of coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic.

It also paved the way for the parliamentary members of the Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA) to continue serving as the BARMM interim government.

In a separate press conference, Galvez expressed gratitude for Marcos’ “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.

“And in line with this, the President’s guidance, we will endeavor to ensure the peaceful, orderly, and credible conduct of this historical election,” he added.

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