Bangsamoro parliamentary election

The first guest I welcomed this year to the new home of the Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation and Unity (OPAPRU) was Bangsamoro Parliament Speaker Mohammad S. Yacob, PhD.

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Speaker Yacob's visit signaled a great start for this year, as our discussions that day focused on the peace works in the Bangsamoro, and the Bangsamoro Parliamentary elections.

We agreed that the elections is not just a historic milestone that will become a major turning point in which the current Bangsamoro interim government fully transitions into a fully functioning democratic institution.

Under the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB), the political track aims to replace decades of conflict, marginalization and exclusion with genuine self-governance that is anchored on a democratic structure.

The conduct of the first regular Bangsamoro Parliamentary elections is the culmination of that promise under the CAB. It signals the end of the transition period and the beginning of a truly empowered, Bangsamoro government with a direct mandate from its constituents.

This is why we view the upcoming elections not only as a political exercise. More than anything else, it is an affirmation that political power in the Bangsamoro will no longer come from a transitional process but emanates directly from the people.

According to Speaker Yacob, the Bangsamoro Parliament will convene a special session on Jan. 12 to deliberate on the proposed BARMM redistricting bill, which is a measure that is indispensable to holding the parliamentary elections.