President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. on Monday expressed confidence that the first parliamentary election of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) will be honest, peaceful and orderly.

Speaking at the BARMM Mayors Conference at Diamond Hotel in Manila, Marcos sought the cooperation of local chief executives to help ensure the success of the elections in the region next year.

“I am confident that the elections will be successful. And by successful, I mean that it will be peaceful. It will be accountable. It will be transparent, everything. All the things, ‘yung gusto natin sa eleksyon na hindi magulo, maliwanag ang resulta, hindi nagkaka-problema (what we want in an election that is not chaotic, the result is clear, there are no problems),” Marcos said.

“Minsan mahirap tuparin ‘yun pero talagang pipilitin natin (Sometimes, that would be difficult to fulfill, but we will truly work hard on it), and hopefully this will be the most peaceful one that we have seen yet. But in any case, that is why I asked for all of you to come today, because we are in need of your help. We need for you to be part of the effort that we are putting together, to make the elections a success,” he added.

In the same vein, the President urged all stakeholders in Mindanao to seize the opportunity to further develop the region through unity and constructive dialogue, as he highlighted the region’s immense potential.

According to the President, there are companies eyeing to do business in Mindanao.

“All of these opportunities here now are available to us. It’s up to us to take advantage, to grab the opportunity,” Marcos said.

“Huwag natin palampasin (Let’s not pass up on the opportunity). The opportunity may never come back. But grab that opportunity now… The only way to do it is to work together and to understand one another,” he said.

The first parliamentary election in BARMM will be held simultaneously with the May 12, 2025 midterm elections. (PNA)