President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. called on Wednesday for the steady roll-out of key development initiatives and basic services across the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), following the completion of the region’s historic first parliamentary elections.
The President also reiterated his administration’s commitment to advancing the normalization process under the peace pact between the national government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) to preserve long-term stability and growth in the region.
During a meeting at Malacañang Palace, Marcos personally extended his congratulations to BARMM Interim Chief Minister and Bangsamoro Federal Party (BFP) Chairman Abdulraof Macacua over the successful conduct of the regional elections, where the BFP emerged with the highest vote tally.
“The historic elections recorded a high voter turnout of approximately 84 percent and were generally peaceful across the Bangsamoro region. The successful conduct of the first parliamentary elections marks the completion of the political track of the Bangsamoro peace process and the region’s transition to a fully elected parliamentary government,” the Presidential Communications Office (PCO) noted.
Joining the Chief Executive in the meeting were Executive Secretary Ralph Recto, Special Assistant to the President Anton Lagdameo, and Ministry of Interior and Local Government Minister Jordan Bayam.
In a separate sit-down on Tuesday, President Marcos and Lagdameo convened with local leaders, including Lanao del Sur Governor Mamintal “Bombit” Adiong Jr., Basilan Governor Mujiv Hataman, Sulu Vice Governor Abdusakur Tan, and former Sultan Kudarat Governor Suharto Mangudadatu. Discussions centered on development strategies for Muslim-majority areas and expanding cooperation between national agencies and local governments.
The discussion also touched on mobilizing grassroots support for peacebuilding, promoting environmental sustainability, ensuring good governance, and elevating public service delivery to uplift the living standards of regional constituents.