Bangsamoro's journey towards peace and prosperity

My first mission when I arrived in the Philippines for my tour of duty was to the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) in October 2024.

- MASSIMO SANTORO

I was impressed by the hospitality, warmth and resilience of the population of the Bangsamoro region. During that visit, I could see how the European Union assistance has enabled communities to generate income from sustainable agriculture in Camp Abubakar, how the Wao municipality in Lanao del Sur benefitted from EU funding to invest in their children by prioritizing their early childhood care and development and how the EU projects have empowered the youth of Marawi to participate in local political decision making.

A second visit to the region in July 2025 confirmed my favorable impressions of this interesting region. This time, besides meeting with Interim Chief Minister Macacua and Senior Minister Yacob, I had the opportunity to engage with civil society and with communities of indigenous peoples in the municipality of Upi, Maguindanao and to visit EU-funded infrastructure projects, including in the Bangsamoro Parliament and the School of Living Traditions, now in the making.

In a significant development for the future of the BARMM, the European Union and the Philippine government will soon establish an additional framework for the future EU support to the region. Through the "Partnership for Peace and Development in Mindanao," the EU has committed to invest another P1.65 billion in the region, building on the important progress made under previous EU programs.

Stemming from the landmark Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro signed in 2014 between the Philippine government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), the creation of the BARMM in 2019 was the culmination of years of negotiation and struggle. The agreement was the product of decades of peace talks aimed at addressing historical injustices and grievances of the Bangsamoro people.