PBBM gives attention to the needs of Barmm

I BELIEVE he should have visited Mindanao earlier and more frequently.

Last Monday, President Bongbong Marcos barnstormed through North Cotabato to connect with our Bangsamoro brethren.

He commemorated the 10th anniversary of the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB) by reaffirming his commitment to its success. He visited Camp Iranun, a former stronghold of the secessionist Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), which signed a peace agreement with the Philippine Government in 2014. The late founder and chairman of the MILF, Hashim Salamat, had his base at what was then known as Camp Abubakar, which has now been renamed Camp Iranun in Barira town, Maguindanao.

The full fruition of the peace pact with the MILF is complex. Leaders of the MILF were careful to avoid the significant failures experienced by the former Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) freedom fighters, led by none other than Nur Misuari, during their governance of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM).

The CAB reformed the ARMM and renamed it the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM). The BARMM is now governed by the Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA), dominated by former leaders of the MILF.

The transition from armed rebellion to running an autonomous government is intricate. This is, proverbially, easier said than done. The BTA faces the challenge of providing leadership and inclusive governance for all Bangsamoro people. The former MILF stalwarts, now Bangsamoro statesmen, should also be cognizant of the diversity within the Bangsamoro and the dynamics of its politics.

Now is a pivotal period for the BTA. The BARMM election is set for 2025. The former rebels should work doubly hard to maintain their dominant position in BARMM politics. Early on, there is a brewing challenge from traditional power holders in the region.

Already, suggestions traced to the MILF leaders at the BTA of postponing the elections next year have surfaced. Many believe that the stalling of elections is to further strengthen the hold of the party related to the MILF, the United Bangsamoro Justice Party (UBJP).

President Marcos has made it clear that he is against any postponement of the BARMM elections in 2025. There is wisdom in this stance. Delaying the elections may create further divisions with other power holders in the region. There is already an emerging alliance of regional parties that can be considered opposition to the UBJP.

For the president, holding elections as provided in the CAB is crucial. Delaying the transition to the CAB, which itself took 17 years of negotiation, would hinder normalization in BARMM. And normalization would mean an escalation of development in the BARMM provinces that remain among the poorest in the country.

The president asserts that holding the elections as scheduled will facilitate the realization of the Bangsamoro people’s democratic rights and expedite the achievement of the CAB’s goals.

This presents a challenge for President Marcos to exert strong leadership in the BARMM. As the nation’s president, he must demonstrate unwavering fortitude to both the MILF-UBJP camp and the traditional regional parties, which are banding together to challenge them.

We should support the president in this endeavor. Another failure would represent a setback of historical proportions.

(The writer is a development worker and environment campaigner. He is the founder and chairperson of the non-profit volunteer organization Pinoy Aksyon for Governance and the Environment (Pinoy Aksyon).)