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The MILF says it is ready to shift ‘from bullets to ballots’
COTABATO CITY, Philippines – The Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) has hailed President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s pronouncement to hold the first Bangsamoro parliamentary elections on October 13, calling it a decisive end to speculation over another postponement.
In a statement released on Sunday, August 10, former Bangsamoro interim chief minister and MILF chairman Ahod Balawag “Al Haj Murad” Ebrahim, said Marcos’ declaration of commitment to hold the regional elections set for October was enough to rally all stakeholders to work toward a credible elections in the Muslim-majority region.
The MILF, which dominates the leadership in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), said it was prepared to submit to the will of the people in a “clean, fair, peaceful and credible” electoral process and placed its “full trust and confidence” in the national government and the Commission on Elections (Comelec).
The group welcomed Marcos’s pronouncement, saying the historic vote is crucial for the peace process in line with the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro.
“After six years of transition, this election will mark the official close of a pivotal chapter and the beginning of a new era,” Ebrahim said.
The MILF emphasized that the polls should allow the Bangsamoro people to freely choose their leaders “uninfluenced by external actors,” and that its party, the United Bangsamoro Justice Party, was ready to shift “from bullets to ballots.”
Marcos earlier said the October election in the BARMM is critical, and that the failure of the Bangsamoro polls is “not an option.” “If that election fails, that will be a big failure in the peace process; that’s why the BARMM elections need to be successful,” he said.
The first parliamentary elections in the BARMM have been scheduled for October 13, Republic Act No. 12123, which Marcos signed into law in February. The polls were moved from the May midterm elections to ensure full attention is given to the parliamentary vote.
Marcos is expected to sign a measure postponing the country’s Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections to give the Commission on Elections (Comelec) more more space to prepare for the Bangsamoro polls.
Presidential Peace Adviser Carlito Galvez Jr. said Marcos’s pronouncement “sends a clear message that the national government will not falter in ensuring that the Bangsamoro people can finally exercise their right to elect their own leaders and chart their own destiny.”
Galvez said, “The first-ever parliamentary elections in the BARMM are a monumental achievement and a true milestone in our peace journey,” he said.
Comelec Chairman George Garcia said the BARMM would proceed with the elections, but added that only a new law could change the schedule.
“As long as there [are] no changes in the law, we will proceed,” Garcia said. – Rappler.com
