LEGISLATORS have expressed optimism for lasting peace and economic growth in southern Philippines following the historic convening of the first elected Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) Parliament and the election of its regular leadership.
Senate President Sherwin Gatchalian, Sen. Francis Escudero, and Lanao del Sur Rep. Zia-ur Rahman Alonto Adiong separately congratulated newly elected Chief Minister Abdulraof Macacua and Speaker Amer Zaakaria A. Rakim, along with the deputy chief ministers, deputy speakers, majority floor leader, and members of the 80-seat assembly.
The inaugural session, held on October 30, marked the formal transition from over seven years of interim governance under the Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA) to a fully elected Parliament following the region’s historic parliamentary elections on September 14, 2026. The term of the first regular Parliament will run through June 30, 2031.
Call for unity, support
GATCHALIAN highlighted the region’s path toward long-overdue economic development and good governance under the new leadership.
‘We congratulate our countrymen in BARMM, as well as Abdulraof Macacua for his election as chief minister of the whole region. We have trust in the new leadership’s ability to push good governance and, with the help of stakeholders, to push economic progress and welfare of everyone in the region,’ Gatchalian said in a mix of English and Filipino.
Gatchalian urged political blocs, civil society organizations, and local governments to unite behind the new BARMM administration to guarantee stability and inclusive development.
‘For so long, everyone has dreamed of long-term peace and development in BARMM and the entire Mindanao. We are confident we can attain the dream of progress for the communities of our Muslim brothers and the whole of Mindanao,’ he added.
Milestone
ESCUDERO lauded the assembly as a major victory resulting from years of peace negotiations between the National Government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).
‘The inaugural session is a testament to the progress we have made in transforming decades of conflict into meaningful opportunities for peace, stability and self-governance,’ Escudero said, wishing the leaders success in pushing the region toward greater prosperity.
‘This is a victory not only for the Bangsamoro people but for the entire country. It is proof that peace, when nurtured through dialogue, patience and cooperation, can lead to stronger institutions and more empowered communities,’ the Bicolano legislator added.
Escudero expressed confidence that the assembly will build upon transition-period gains to improve public services and uplift daily life for ordinary Bangsamoro families.
National-regional partnership
ADIONG, a former Bangsamoro Parliament member (2019-2022), called the moment a fulfillment of a long-standing dream for genuine self-governance.