OPAPRU: SC ruling validates Bangsamoro’s right to real autonomy

By Priam Nepomuceno, Philippine News Agency

Galvez said this also empowers the Bangsamoro people to govern themselves in a way that respects, honors, and gives recognition to their rich history, ancestry, and cultural heritage. (File Photo by Pinky Rose Fernandez/ DND, DCommS via Department of National Defense – Philippines/Facebook)

MANILA – The Supreme Court’s (SC) decision affirming the constitutionality of the Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL) is a landmark decision that will strengthen the Bangsamoro people’s call for genuine autonomy in their homeland, the country’s peace body said Thursday.

“This decision represents a resounding validation of the Bangsamoro people’s aspirations for self-governance and self-determination, which they have pursued over the years with utmost determination, commitment, and dignity,” Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconcialition, and Unity (OPAPRU) Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr. said in a statement.

He added that the SC’s decision recognizing the constitutionality of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM)’s parliamentary system of governance “solidifies the region’s right to chart its political and economic future.”

Galvez said this also empowers the Bangsamoro people to govern themselves in a way that respects, honors, and gives recognition to their rich history, ancestry, and cultural heritage.

“We also acknowledge the High Court’s ruling on the exclusion of the Province of Sulu from the BARMM. In light of this decision, the national government stands in full support of the BARMM leadership headed by Chief Ahod Balawag Ebrahim, as it navigates the implications of this ruling and continues to uphold its mandate of serving the Bangsamoro people,” he added.

Having existed as an autonomous entity for over five years, Galvez said the BARMM government has demonstrated its ability to manage the complexities of governance and development.

“We are confident that it will respond to the High Court’s with the same strength, resilience, and wisdom that has defined its journey thus far, as enshrined in the BOL,” he added.