MANILA, Sept. 15 (Xinhua) -- Philippine President Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos on Thursday expressed his administration's "full and unwavering support" for the peace process of a Muslim autonomous region in the southern Philippines.
Marcos flew to Cotabato City on Mindanao island to witness the opening session of the 80-member Parliament of the 2022-2025 Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA). Bangsamoro Chief Minister Ahod Ebrahim, chair of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, leads the transition body.
Marcos said the transition body "speaks volumes of your answer towards that call for unity, shared responsibility, and the invitation to advocate peace and development in the Bangsamoro region."
After decades of conflicts, the Philippine government and the MILF signed in 2014 a peace agreement and ended the insurgency.
In 2018, then President Rodrigo Duterte signed the Bangsamoro Organic Law, paving the way for the creation of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) in 2019.
Marcos said his administration will continue to complete the implementation of all signed Bangsamoro peace agreements and will push for socio-economic development and interventions to promote peace and development in the region, urging the new BTA parliament to pass measures that secure the welfare of its people, particularly in agri-fishery, healthcare, transportation, communication, digital infrastructure and e-governance.
The Marcos administration has allocated roughly 1.3 billion U.S. dollars budget for the Bangsamoro region next year. ■