BARMM chief minister urges support for Marcos administration amid Mindanao secession calls

The Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) on Friday expressed support for the Marcos administration amid the call of former President Rodrigo Duterte to secede Mindanao from the Philippines.

In Chino Gaston’s “24 Oras” report on Friday, BARMM Chief Ahod Ebrahim stood firm on the implementation of the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB), which paved the way for the establishment of the Bangsamoro government.  

“Although more has yet to be done, Parties to the CAB have made great strides in the implementation of its components that are ultimately beneficial to the Bangsamoro people,” Ebrahim said. 

“We remain grateful or, and acknowledge, the significant contributions made by past and present Presidents of the Philippines in arriving at the peaceful settlement of the Bangsamoro Question,” he said. 

Established in 2019, the BARMM was created under the Bangsamoro Organic Law, replacing the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao. It is composed of the provinces of Basilan, Lanao del Sur, Maguindanao, Sulu, and Tawi-Tawi and 63 barangays of North Cotabato. 

Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation, and Unity (OPAPRU)  Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr. also appealed to the public to reject any calls that would “destabilize” the country including the separation of Mindanao.

According to Galvez, secession is against the spirit of the Constitution as well as the principles of the comprehensive peace process that ended the decades-long armed conflict in Mindanao. 

A Muslim rights group, for its part, believes the call was only for politics. 

“Karamihan ng gustong i-secede ang Mindanao galing naman Luzon at Visayas. Hindi naman sila indigenous sa Muslim Mindanao and if you're talking about will the Muslims follow secession, medyo pagod na ang mga kasamahan namin sa giyera. We've been fighting for how many decades,” said Amina Raoul, President of Philippine Center for Islam and Democracy. 

(Most of the people who are calling for secession came from Luzon and Visayas and were not indigenous to Muslim Mindanao. If you’re talking about whether the Muslims follow secession, we’re tired of the war. We’ve been fighting for how many decades.) —Sundy Locus/NB, GMA Integrated News