BARMM POLLS, MILF DECOMMISSIONING LEAD AGENDA OF NEW OPAPRU OFFICIALS

Preparations for the first parliamentary elections in the Bangsamoro region and the continuation of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front’s (MILF) decommissioning process are among the top priorities of newly appointed officials of the Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation and Unity (OPAPRU), Presidential Peace Adviser Mel Senen Sarmiento said.

Sarmiento recently administered the oath of office to four new OPAPRU officials and expressed optimism about working closely with the MILF and other stakeholders to advance the peace process.

He said the appointees’ experience in public service would help sustain gains from the 2014 peace agreement that ended decades of armed conflict in Mindanao and led to the creation of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).

The MILF’s decommissioning process remains stalled after the group suspended its final phase last year over concerns that government commitments under the normalization track had not been fully met.

Sarmiento also underscored the significance of BARMM’s first regular parliamentary elections on September 14, which will mark the end of the region’s transition period and the installation of elected parliamentary leaders.

Source: PhilNews24 | June 14, 2026