MANILA, Philippines – TINIYAK ni Pangulong Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. sa mamamayan ng Bangsamoro na gagawin ng gobyerno ang lahat sa loob ng mandato nito upang tiyakin ang “safe, peaceful, and credible” na pagdaraos ng inaugural parliamentary elections sa Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) sa Sept. 14.
Inihayag ito ng Pangulo matapos pangunahan ang pagbubukas ng 2026 National Peace Consciousness Month, kung saan binigyang-diin niya ang buong suporta ng kanyang administrasyon para sa makasaysayang democratic exercise sa kabila ng ilang pagpapaliban sa eleksyon.
“We are prepared for the first Parliamentary elections in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao on September 14,” ayon sa Pangulo.
“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,” aniya pa.
Sinabi ng Pangulo na ang kinabukasan ng BARMM ay huhubugin ng mga mamamayan ng Bangsamoro sa pamamagitan ng kanilang boses, mga ihihirang, at aspirasyon para sa rehiyon.
Inilarawan naman ng Pangulo ang first regular parliamentary elections bilang mahalagang hakbang sa transisyon ng rehiyon tungo sa mas permanenteng autonomous government.
Sinabi pa ng Pangulo na “the polls form part of the continuing peace process in Mindanao,” habang ginugunita ng bansa ang ika-30 anibersaryo ng 1996 Final Peace Agreement kasama ang Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF).
Inilarawan niya ang kasunduan bilang “a landmark achievement born of the aspirations, struggles and sacrifices of MNLF members, as well as the shared resolve to build lasting peace in Mindanao.”
“We honor all who chose dialogue over division, all of those who worked, often quietly and patiently, to make peace a lived reality in Mindanao,” ang tinuran ni Pangulong Marcos.
“Our work is not yet finished. Three decades later, the Agreement remains as a continuing covenant to pursue justice, dignity, and self-determination through peaceful means. In the coming days, we have another opportunity to show that the gains of peace can be strengthened through democratic institutions,” aniya pa.
Binigyang-diin din ni Pangulong Marcos ang kahalagahan ng 1986 “Sipat,” o Mount Data Peace Accord kasama ang Cordillera Bodong Administration-Cordillera People’s Liberation Army (CBA-CPLA), na gugunitain ang ika-40 anibersaryo ngayong taon.
Matatandaang kapuwa nilagdaan ng gobyerno ng Pilipinas at CBA-CPLA ang Mount Data Peace Accord noong Sept. 15, 1986, na ginawang pormal ang tigil-putukan sa pagitan ng dalawang partido.
Ani Pangulong Marcos, “these milestones demonstrate that peace requires responsibility and must be ‘chosen, lived, protected, and strengthened every single day.’”
“The Accord showed that even longstanding differences can be bridged through dialogue and a shared commitment to uplift our communities,” ang dagdag na wika nito.
Sinabi ng Pangulo na ang paglagda ng “fulfillment agreement” kasama ang CBA-CPLA ay nagbigay-daan upang tuldukan ang armed hostilities sa Cordillera.
“We will continue to support the Cordillera’s aspirations for autonomy and ensure that peace continues to translate into development and opportunity,” ayon sa Chief Executive.
Pinangunahan ng Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation and Unity ang National Peace Consciousness Month celebration na may bitbit na temang “Kapayapaan Pagtibayin, Kaunlaran Paigtingin” (Strengthen Peace, Intensify Development), na binibigyang-diin ang mahalagang ugnayan sa pagitan ng pangmatagalang kapayapaan at napapanatiling pag-unlad. (KRIS JOSE)
