BARMM polls: PH gov’t, MILF peace panels hope for free, fair elections

COTABATO CITY — The Peace Implementing Panel (PIP) chairs of the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), Mel Senen Sarmiento and Mohagher Iqbal, respectively, expressed hope that the electorate can freely cast their votes in the historic Sept. 14 Bangsamoro Parliamentary Elections.

“On September 14, our success will not be measured by who wins or loses. Our success will be measured by whether the Bangsamoro people were able to vote freely, whether peace was preserved, and whether the result reflects the genuine choice of the electorate,” Sarmiento, who also heads the Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation and Unity, said on Monday following a signing ceremony at the MILF’s Camp Darapanan.

The government and the MILF signed the “Guidelines for Mutual Understanding between the Coordinating Committees on the Cessation of Hostilities and Ad Hoc Joint Action Group of the GPH-MILF for Ceasefire-Related Functions during the 14 September 2026 BARMM Parliamentary Elections.”

READ: Army deploys 2 more provisional battalions for BARMM polls

Under the guidelines, both the government and the MILF committed to maintaining peace and ensuring a peaceful, honest, and transparent election.

The guidelines also seek to prevent misunderstandings between government forces and the MILF, strengthen coordination with election authorities, and ensure the continued protection of peace while maintaining political neutrality.

Iqbal said he believed that “now is the time to end the security problems in the Southern Philippines.”

“It is about time to put closure to the peace and security problem in Mindanao,” Iqbal said during the same event attended by MILF chairman Ahod “Al Haj Murad” Ebrahim and senior military leaders in the Bangsamoro region.

“It is about time that the region is led by elected leaders because democracy resides in the people,” Iqbal added.

READ: GPH, MILF sign pact for peaceful BARMM polls

Major turning point

Iqbal said the BARMM polls “are not an ordinary election” because it is part of the implementation of the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro and the Bangsamoro Organic Law.

According to Iqbal, the elections mark a major turning point for democratic governance in the region because its leaders will no longer be appointees but will have the mandate of the Bangsamoro people.

Sarmiento said the government shares the MILF’s goal of creating the conditions necessary for peaceful and orderly elections on Sept. 14.

The government and MILF PIP chairs also signed a Pledge of Commitment for the peaceful, orderly, and credible conduct of the Bangsamoro elections.

In a statement on Tuesday, Sarmiento reiterated President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s guidance during the First Semester AFP Command Conference: “We must help ensure an election that is peaceful, honest, transparent, and credible, where every voter can exercise his or her choice without intimidation.” /mcm