A noted political analyst expressed confidence that the Marcos Administration would succeed in synchronizing the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) parliamentary and general elections next year.
In a news forum in Quezon City on Saturday, Professor Richard Heydarian highlighted the importance of carrying out the Bangsamoro issue seamlessly because of its security and stability implications, particularly as the country focuses on dealing with external issues.
“I think President (Ferdinand) Marcos Jr. realizes that it is important that we get BARMM right because that is our soft underbelly. If Mindanao is in trouble again, how can we focus on Taiwan, how can we focus on the West Philippine Sea?,” Heydarian said.
“So, again, from the national security standpoint, we have to get the BARMM question right. Right doesn’t mean ten out of ten, even six out of ten. I’m okay with that considering also the reality that there will be rags, dynasties and also some of the transition issues from rebels to government officials,” he added.
Delaying the BARMM elections might send the wrong signal to Mindanao stakeholders, Heydarian pointed out.
However, the government may choose to move the regional elections, scheduled on May 12, 2025, to sometime in 2026, but putting it off further may be too long, he said.
In an interview Friday, President Marcos said the government is carefully studying its next move following the Supreme Court (SC) decision upholding the constitutionality of the Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL) while excluding Sulu from the BARMM.
