‘Government won’t meddle in BARMM politics’

MANILA, Philippines — Presidential peace adviser Mel Senen Sarmiento has assured stakeholders in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao that the Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation and Unity (OPAPRU) will not interfere in the BARMM political transition this September.

Sarmiento said the OPAPRU is mandated to implement the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB) and support peace and development initiatives without meddling in local politics.

“What matters is we follow what is stated in the CAB. All discussions should remain focused on that because it is the basis of the Bangsamoro Organic Law,” Sarmiento said at a media briefing in Pasig yesteday.

Sarmiento said that OPAPRU’s mandate is not political intervention, but to ensure that peace agreements translate to tangible improvements in Bangsamoro communities.

He said the agency wants to move beyond projects that are merely compliance-driven or designed for publicity.

The government’s objective in the BARMM is to make communities feel the real dividends of peace, particularly through improved access to services and economic opportunities, Sarmiento said.

“Our target here is for every household to be able to eat three meals a day, and not to meddle with political processes,” he added.

The BARMM will hold its first parliamentary election on Sept. 14.