Marcos joins commemoration of BARMM's 7th founding anniversary

COTABATO CITY, Philippines — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. urged officials of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao to continue fostering development in the local communities via programs aligned with those of the national government’s peace and socio-economic thrusts.

The president was the guest of honor during the commemoration on Wednesday, January 21, of BARMM’s 7^th founding anniversary at the Bangsamoro regional capitol in Cotabato City.

The occasion was attended by regional officials and members of BARMM's 80-seat parliament, local executives from across the region, representatives of different peace advocacy groups and officials of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front and the Moro National Liberation Front.

A ranking official of the MILF, BARMM Education Minister Muhaquer Iqbal, and the chairman of the MNLF's central committee, Muslimin Sema, also functioning as the region's labor and employment minister, were both present in the event. 

The Bangsamoro region, a product of 22 years of peace talks between the national government and the MILF, was established seven years ago, replacing the 27-year-old less empowered Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.

President Marcos arrived at almost noon Wednesday at the Cotabato Airport in Datu Odin Sinsuat, Maguindanao del Norte and was escorted by BARMM Chief Minister Abdulrauf Macacua to the Bangsamoro capitol, about eight kilometers away, where he talked about the importance of cohesion between the regional government and his administration in promoting peace and prosperity in the autonomous region and in sustaining the dividends of the Mindanao peace process.

Macacua is also a member of the MILF's central committee and is chief of the front's Bangsamoro Islamic Armed Forces, whose members are now being decommissioned and reintegrated into mainstream society together by the national government and different BARMM agencies.

“Public service is more meaningful if it is carried out in solidarity. Peace is a vital foundation for progress,” President Marcos said in his message that capped off Wednesday's celebration of BARMM's 7th founding anniversary inside the 34-hectare regional capitol in Cotabato City.

He said the Bangsamoro people will flourish if there is harmony in governance among leaders in the autonomous region and all stakeholders to the Mindanao peace process.

BARMM covers Maguindanao del Sur, Maguindanao del Norte, Lanao del Sur, Basilan and Tawi-Tawi and the cities of Lamitan, Marawi and Cotabato.