Marcos hopes 2025 BARMM polls will be 'most peaceful'

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. expressed optimism that the first parliamentary election of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) would be "the most peaceful" as he sought the support of the region's local executives.

“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 nagkakaproblema,” Marcos said during the BARMM mayors' conference in Manila Monday.

“Minsan mahirap tuparin ‘yun pero talagang pipilitin natin 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.

The BARMM parliamentary polls will be held simultaneously with the midterm elections on May 12, 2025.

Marcos also urged the local officials to continue working with the private sector to further develop the region and improve the lives of the residents.

“Ang daming puwedeng gawin. There’s so much opportunity. And that is why very optimistic ako.  Basta tayo magsama-sama. Basta’t tayo’y nagkakaunawaan. Basta’t tayo’y may sistema na ayusin ang mga problema. Basta’t mayroon tayong ganyan at nagkakaintindihan tayo,” the president said.

He added, "All of these opportunities here now are available to us. It’s up to us to take advantage, to grab the opportunity. Huwag nating palampasin.  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." —LDF, GMA Integrated News