The Market Monitor Minding the Nation's Business
by Tracy Cabrera
MALATE, Manila — The resetting of the first parliamentary elections in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) is a welcome development that would allow its government sufficient time to address pressing legal concerns about Sulu’s exclusion, according to the Office of Presidential Peace Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation and Unity (OPAPRU).
At the Kapihan sa Manila Bay media forum at posh Cafe Adriatico in Malate, Manila, Presidential peace adviser Carlito Galvez Jr. made the comment following President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. (PBBM)’s signing into law Republic Act 12123, which reschedules the BARMM polls from May 12 to October13 the current year.
“The passage of RA 12123 is a testament (to) the Marcos Jr. administration’s unwavering determination to fulfill the commitments made by the national government under all signed peace agreements, and bringing sustainable development and long-lasting peace to our Bangsamoro brothers and sisters,” Galvez Jr. pointed out.
He expressed optimism that the law’s provision allowing the current BARMM government to continue to disburse Sulu’s share of the region’s Block Grant earmarked for 2025 will be beneficial and will support the continuance if peace and security in the region.
“This would allow the province to implement programs in accordance with the rules and guidelines of the Department of Budget and Management (DBM),” he cited.
The Supreme Court in September ruled to exclude Sulu province from the BARMM, citing the province’s rejection of the Bangsamoro Organic Law during the 2019 plebiscite.
“The OPAPRU, together with its peace partners, join the Bangsamoro people as we gear up for the upcoming BARMM parliamentary election, which is another major milestone in the Bangsamoro peace process,” Galvez further stated.
“With the resetting of the BARMM elections, the national and Bangsamoro governments can now focus on the main task at hand, and that is, to ensure the peaceful, credible, and orderly conduct of this landmark political exercise for the Bangsamoro people,” he added.
The exclusion of Sulu from the BARMM, an unresolved petition questioning the constitutionality of the Bangsamoro electoral code of 2023 and a request from the Commission on Elections (Comelec) for additional time to prepare for the polls were among the reasons for postponing the elections.