Marcos admin steadfast in pursuit of peace, dev’t in BARMM

FILE: Nanumpa ng kanilang katapatan ang mga bagong kawani ng Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA) Parliament sa palasyo at may sigasig nilang ipinangako na ipagpapatuloy ang pagsusulong sa kapayapaan at seguridad ng ating mga kababayan sa kanilang rehiyon. (Photo: Bongbong Marcos/Facebook)

MANILA – President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Sunday reaffirmed his commitment to strive for peace and development in Mindanao, saying it will bring the country closer to achieving his vision of a “New Society”.

Marcos made this commitment as he reshared on Facebook Episode 2 of the “Bagong Pilipinas” series uploaded by state-run Radio Television Malacañang (RTVM).

It showed the efforts being made by the administration to ensure peace and order, particularly in Mindanao.

“Isang karangalan ang makibahagi sa pagtatag ng pangmatagalang kapayapaan sa Bangsamoro (It is an honor to participate in the establishment of lasting peace in the Bangsamoro),” Marcos said in a Facebook post.

“Mananatiling determinado ang ating administrasyon sa pagbibigay-daan sa isang Bagong Pilipinas kung saan ang lahat ay ligtas at kapit-bisig tungo sa kaunlaran ng bawat mamamayang Pilipino (Our administration will remain determined in enabling a New Society where everyone is safe and connected towards the prosperity of every Filipino citizen),” he added.

The Office of the President (OP), in a separate Facebook post, reshared the same video and issued a similar commitment.

“The nation has witnessed great strides since the establishment of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) and President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. remains steadfast in pursuit of peace and development for the region, for the country, and for all Filipinos,” the OP said.

Episode 2 of Bagong Pilipinas gave a recap of how Marcos, during his speech at the 77th session of the United Nations General Assembly on September 21 (Manila time), touted the government’s success in BARMM.

He asked his fellow world leaders to support the Philippines’ candidature to the UN Security Council for the term 2027-2028.

The episode featured Marcos leading the mass oath-taking of newly-appointed members of the Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA) on August 12, manifesting the fulfillment of the Bangsamoro peace accords.

It also showed the public launch of the resumption of Phase 3 of the decommissioning process on September 27 in Sultan Kudarat, Maguindanao that aims to reintegrate former combatants to mainstream society by providing them with livelihood and other appropriate programs and services.

A total of 14,000 combatants are targeted to be decommissioned under Phase 3.

Each beneficiary received cash worth PHP100,000, which comprises the Bangsamoro Transitory Family Support Package and Livelihood Settlement Grant.

The last part of the episode showed a clip of Marcos’ speech during the mass oath-taking of BTA members, particularly his description of the path to lasting peace as always being “under construction.”

Marcos guaranteed that the Bangsamoro peace process would remain a top priority of his administration.