By Ruth Abbey Gita-Carlos
MANILA – President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. has commended the successful conduct of the inaugural parliamentary elections in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).
Marcos met with Interim BARMM Chief Minister and Bangsamoro Federal Party (BFP) chairperson Abdulraof Macacua at Malacañan Palace in Manila following the recently concluded polls.
The Presidential Communications Office (PCO) on Wednesday shared photos of the meeting.
“The meeting also discussed the way forward for the newly elected BARMM Government, including the continued implementation of development programs and delivery of essential services for the Bangsamoro people,” the PCO said in a statement.
“The discussion likewise covered the continuation of the normalization track of the peace process to sustain the gains of peace and development in the region,” it added.
Macacua was proclaimed the winner of the parliamentary seat representing the third legislative district of Maguindanao del Norte in the region’s first regular parliamentary elections.
The historic first BARMM polls resulted in no single party securing an absolute majority of the 80-seat parliament.
Macacua’s BFP secured the most seats with 31, followed by the Moro Islamic Liberation Front-backed United Bangsamoro Justice Party with 30 seats.
The PCO said the historic elections, which recorded a voter turnout of approximately 84 percent, were “generally peaceful” across the Bangsamoro region.
“The successful conduct of the first parliamentary elections marks the completion of the political track of the Bangsamoro peace process and the region’s transition to a fully elected parliamentary government,” it said.
Also present during the meeting were Executive Secretary Ralph Recto, Special Assistant to the President Anton Lagdameo, and Ministry of the Interior and Local Government Minister Jordan Bayam. (PNA)
