By Darryl John Esguerra | Philippine News Agency
Presidential Peace Adviser Carlito Galvez Jr. has welcomed President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s assurance that the first parliamentary elections in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) will push through on Oct. 13, stressing that “failed Bangsamoro polls [are] not an option.”
“The President’s statement is a powerful affirmation of our shared commitment to the Bangsamoro peace process,” Galvez said in a statement over the weekend.
He said Marcos sent a clear message that the national government will ensure the Bangsamoro people can elect their own leaders and shape their future.
Marcos earlier underscored the importance of holding the BARMM elections as scheduled, saying a failure would be “a big failure in the peace process.”
The landmark polls, mandated under Republic Act 12123 signed in February, will mark the region’s shift from an appointive to an elected parliamentary government under the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro.
To give the Commission on Elections (Comelec) time to focus on preparations, Marcos is set to sign a measure postponing the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (Comelec) from Dec. 1 to November 2026.
Galvez said the Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation and Unity (OPAPRU), in partnership with Comelec, Presidential Task Force on Media Security (PTFoMS), and the BARMM Information Office, will conduct information, education, and communication campaigns for journalists in Mindanao to boost coverage accuracy and safety during the historic polls. (with report from Priam Nepomuceno/PNA)
