President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. on Monday vowed to exercise “strong political will” to continue ensuring peace and prosperity in the Bangsamoro even as he guaranteed the peaceful and orderly May 2025 elections in the region.

Speaking at the 10th anniversary celebration of the signing of the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB) at Camp Iranun, formerly Camp Abubakar, in Barira, Maguindanao del Norte, Marcos said long-lasting peace in Mindanao can be sustained “with a scoreboard of development.”

“We knew that peace to our people will be found in businesses launched, in the jobs created, the schools and new hospitals opened, the farms irrigated, and the roads constructed,” Marcos said.

“To us, there is only one peace – and that is when the bloody tally of war is replaced with a scoreboard of development. That scoreboard shows that peace was won, and the war is over,” he added.

The CAB was signed between the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) on March 27, 2014, or 17 years after peace negotiations started in 1997.

The Bangsamoro peace accord led to the achievement of numerous milestones in its political and normalization tracks 10 years after its signing.

The President noted that the road to genuine peace and prosperity is “not an easy job.”

“It is not the work of a day, it is not the work of a month, it is the work of a lifetime,” he said.

He said a strong political will is needed for Mindanao to thrive — something that he promised to exercise as the country leader.

“It requires a strong political will. And, as President, I will exercise that strong political will for the success of the Bangsamoro region,” he said.

“Kailangan buo ang loob natin dito kasi marami pang trabahong naghihintay sa atin (Our resolve should remain intact as there is still much work to be done),” he added.

Peaceful 2025 polls

The President also encouraged the Bangsamoro people to exercise their right to vote and choose their leaders in the upcoming first BARMM elections in May 2025.

“This is the fulfillment of your democratic right to realize and achieve meaningful autonomy, as is enshrined in the CAB. I urge you, safeguard those rights, empower yourselves, take part in our shared task of nation-building,” Marcos said.

The President ensured an honest, orderly, and credible electoral process, and issued a stern warning against those who will sow terror to hamper the democratic process.

“Let this also serve as a warning to those who may plan to threaten and derail this upcoming election, huwag nyo nang isipin ‘yan dahil ang kakalabanin na ninyo ay ang pamahalaan (Don’t even think about that because you are going to face the full force of the government),” he said. (PNA)

Photo credit: Facebook/thebangsamorogovt