MANILA(July 1) — As the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) prepares for its first-ever parliamentary elections in September, the Marcos administration says completing the Bangsamoro peace process remains a national priority, with the historic vote seen as a defining test of decades of peacebuilding.
Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation and Unity (OPAPRU) Secretary Mel Senen Sarmiento said the upcoming elections represent more than a political exercise. They mark the transition from the appointed Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA) to a democratically elected parliament—a milestone envisioned under the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB) and the Bangsamoro Organic Law.
“The Bangsamoro peace process has always been a priority of the Marcos administration,” Sarmiento said, noting that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has consistently reaffirmed the government’s commitment to fully implement the peace agreement.
Forged after decades of negotiations between the Government of the Philippines and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), the CAB laid the foundation for replacing armed conflict with self-governance and democratic institutions in the Bangsamoro.
Sarmiento said the government’s immediate task is to ensure that the region’s first parliamentary elections are peaceful, credible and supported by strong institutions, allowing the transition to elected leadership to proceed smoothly.
He emphasized that preparations have continued despite the ongoing transition in the leadership of the Government Peace Implementing Panel.
According to Sarmiento, OPAPRU, members of the peace panel and partner government agencies have sustained implementation planning, technical work and inter-agency coordination to keep commitments under the peace agreement moving forward.
He also disclosed that the appointment of the next chair of the Government Peace Implementing Panel is now in its final stage of vetting, with Malacañang expected to announce its decision by July 14.
The appointment is expected to provide continuity as the government oversees one of the most critical phases of the peace process leading to the September polls.
For many Bangsamoro communities, the elections symbolize the next chapter of a peace process built through years of negotiations, difficult compromises and the collective efforts of government, former combatants, civil society and local leaders.
Sarmiento said sustaining the gains of the peace agreement requires continuity across administrations, stressing that peacebuilding extends far beyond the signing of accords.
“Peace agreements are negotiated at one stage, institutionalized at another, and implemented over many years,” he said.
With the region poised to elect its first regular parliament, the September polls are widely viewed as a crucial measure of whether the institutions created under the peace agreement can deliver the lasting peace, democratic governance and self-determination long envisioned for the Bangsamoro people.
