President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. assured the Bangsamoro people on Tuesday that his administration is fully committed to safeguarding the integrity of the upcoming Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) parliamentary elections, promising a process free from fear and intimidation.
Speaking at Malacañang during the opening of the 2026 National Peace Consciousness Month, President Marcos emphasized the government’s readiness to facilitate the region’s historic, first-ever parliamentary polls scheduled for September 14.
“Be assured that this Administration will do everything within our mandate to ensure that the elections are safe, peaceful and credible. We will protect the right of every Bangsamoro voter to cast a ballot freely and without fear,” President Marcos said.
The President noted that despite previous postponements, the national government never wavered in its commitment to supporting the BARMM democratic transition, framing the upcoming vote as a key milestone in fortifying the gains of the peace process through strong democratic institutions.
“We are prepared for the first Parliamentary elections in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao on September 14. Despite several postponements, the government never lost hope and remains fully committed to supporting this democratic exercise,” he stated.
Marcos urged the Bangsamoro community to participate actively and demonstrate that the region’s future is firmly in the hands of its people through their choices at the ballot box.
The opening of National Peace Consciousness Month coincided with two major historic anniversaries celebrating the country’s legacy of peacebuilding. The event commemorated the 30th Anniversary of the 1996 Final Peace Agreement between the Government of the Philippines (GPH) and the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF), alongside the 40th Anniversary of the 1986 Mount Data Peace Accord (“Sipat”) with the Cordillera Bodong Administration-Cordillera People’s Liberation Army (CBA-CPLA).
Reflecting on these milestones, President Marcos called on all Filipinos to choose unity over division, drawing a parallel between national harmony and strong family bonds that persist despite internal differences.
He honored past peacebuilders and challenged the current generation to sustain their legacy for future Filipinos.
“We owe it to them, and to the generations yet to come, to pass on not the conflicts of the past, but the peace, unity, and hope that we chose to create together,” the President added.