Filipino president asks military to support Muslim Mindanao peace, urges unity

ISTANBUL (AA) – The President of the Philippines Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has urged the military to support the peace process in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).

He also urged unity in the ranks of the BARMM leadership, expressing support for the transitional government that includes members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front which had waged a decades long insurgency against the Philippines government, before settling for terms of peace after guarantees of sovereignty and self determination in 2018.

The president visited the autonomous Muslim southern region where he addressed the re-appointed 80-member parliament.

“I think the role of the military is to support the peace, that is the peace process, and that is what we need to continue to support,” Marcos told soldiers of the 6th Infantry Division of the Philippine Army’s that is deployed in Central Mindanao.

“I bring this up to you to explain that perhaps the mission of not only the political leadership but also the mission of the military here is going to change. And that will be because I am hoping that we can look forward to a period of lasting peace and progress,” said Marcos, who won the presidential election in May by a landslide.

Addressing the Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA) parliament earlier in Cotabato, Marcos urged BARMM leadership to “work together for the attainment of peace and progress in the region.”

“We know that with unity and solidarity, the BTA will be successful in facilitating the institution of the Bangsamoro government, one that is centered in promoting good governance and lasting peace for its people,” he said.

Marcos re-appointed Murad Ebrahim as interim chief minister of the BTA and the parliament in July. The new term will conclude in May 2025 when elections are expected in June that year.

In 2018, a decades-long insurgency by the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) led to peace talks with the Philippines government, and the BARMM was formed.

The regional government is run by the BTA, led by Ebrahim, who was elected first chief minister in February 2019.

The mandate of the transitional authority was due to end this year but the Philippines government, under former President Rodrigo Duterte, extended it to 2025 to allow Ebrahim and his team to achieve targets, including the decommissioning of former MILF fighters.

Urging the BTA parliament to pass crucial legislations on fiscal policy, particularly taxation, and to facilitate the conduct of elections in BARMM in 2025, Marcos told Moro lawmakers: “We walk this path together because even if it is difficult, we know that at the end of the journey is historical justice, progress, peace, stability, and the unity that our peoples and our nation have long aspired for and so rightly deserve.”

​​​​​​​‘Beginning of new chapter’

Ebrahim said the day marked the “beginning of a new chapter in the Bangsamoro’s quest for lasting peace and development in our homeland.”

“Just like what we did three years ago during the inauguration of the BTA, we once again take our oath of moral governance as a symbol of our renewed commitment to dutifully finish the transition priorities, fight the ills of governance, and fulfill Amanah — trust of the Bangsamoro people,” he said in his address to parliament,

He said his administration, in the past three years, has enacted 31 laws.

The chief minister credited a “significantly better peace and order situation” that has made Bangsamoro “a vibrant investment destination.”

The swearing-in ceremony of the chief minister and 80 members of parliament was held last month in Manila.

Under the peace agreement, the government will be led by the MILF and most lawmakers will be from the organization.

The Bangsamoro parliament has completed codes on administration, civil services, education and local government while revenue and electoral codes are under process.