Marcos celebrates the autonomous region of Mindanao, which is aiming for a vote in September

The president spoke yesterday in Cotabato City on the seventh anniversary of the founding of the Barmm. For the head of state, “peace” in the area is vital for the progress of the whole country. The promise to support “the aspirations of our Muslim brothers and sisters.” Meanwhile, September 28 is being considered as the date for the elections, which have already been postponed several times.

Manila (AsiaNews) - On the seventh anniversary - celebrated yesterday - of the creation of the autonomous Muslim-majority region in Muslim Mindanao (Barmm), southern Philippines, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. stressed that peace is “vital” for the progress of the area and the whole country. In his speech in Cotabato City, the head of state recalled how the new entity has helped to end decades of armed conflict in Mindanao and lay the foundations for peace between Manila and Islamic militias, including the MILF. However, several unresolved issues remain on the table, starting with the elections, which have been suspended several times and which, according to the latest information, could take place on September 28.

In February 2019, then-President Rodrigo Duterte entrusted the leadership of the new Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BAMM) to Al Hajj Murad Ebrahim, leader of the MILF, who assumed the position of interim chief minister. Since then, the rebels, who for decades fought a bloody battle for autonomy, with 150,000 deaths since the 1970s, have become guarantors of peace and stability in the predominantly Islamic territory of the island of Mindanao.

The BAMM was created after the ratification of the Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL), the result of negotiations between Manila and the MILF. Held in two votes (January 21 and February 6, 2019), a referendum established that the new region is composed of the provinces of Lanao del Sur, Maguindanao, Basilan, Sulu, and Tawi-Tawi, as well as the cities of Marawi, Lamitan, Cotabato, and 63 villages in North Cotabato. However, divisions have emerged since the early stages of the new entity, and there have been concerns about religious freedom, despite the support expressed by Mindanao's Catholic leaders for the autonomy project.

“In recent years, we have witnessed the changes and gradual development of the Barmm” and, for the future, “we support and endorse the aspirations of our Muslim brothers and sisters,” Marcos said. “Institutions have been strengthened. And, most importantly, the bond between the national government and the Bangsamoro government has deepened,” he said. The president then called the establishment of the autonomous region a ‘milestone’ in the struggle to achieve genuine progress and unity and proof that “sacrifice, dialogue, and unity are the keys to lasting peace.”

Marcos Jr. also urged the public to always choose unity and cooperation, moving beyond divisions. Despite the achievements of the Barmm, Marcos Jr. pointed out that there is still “much work to be done,” stressing that peace remains a “fundamental basis” for progress, which is why he assured the government's support for local government action. Finally, the head of state expressed his hope that the upcoming elections would represent an “opportunity” for the people of Bangsamoro to “freely express” their voices and aspirations through the election of their leaders.

However, the issue of voting remains unresolved, even though two representatives from the autonomous region proposed yesterday that the elections be held on September 28. At the end of 2025, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) moved the Barmm elections from October to March 30, 2026, after the Supreme Court declared two previous regional district laws unconstitutional. The judges had given the Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA) until the end of October to pass a law in line with the Constitution, allowing elections to be held by March 31. However, the interim parliament missed the deadline and passed the district law on January 13, weeks after Comelec suspended the filing of candidacy certificates for the March 30 polls.

The first elections have been postponed three times since the predominantly Muslim region was created in 2019. They were originally scheduled for May 2022 but were postponed to May 2025 due to the Covid-19 pandemic and the need to finalize the Bangsamoro electoral code.

Finally, speaking at the celebrations in the presence of President Marcos, Barmm Prime Minister Abdulraof Macacua highlighted the achievements of his administration in recent times, calling on citizens to make a joint effort for continued progress. He said that the local economy in the Bangsamoro region had improved, jobs had increased, and health workers had reached communities that had previously been neglected. In addition, social protection programs have helped hundreds of thousands of families, and more than 500 infrastructure projects have been completed. Macacua concluded by outlining his future plans, stating that he does not intend to “change direction” but rather to “expand what has already been started.”