Turnout of 7-day BARMM festivities elate officials

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COTABATO CITY – Officials were elated with how the January 21-27 celebration of the fourth anniversary of the Bangsamoro region went, grateful to all sectors that supported the activities during the weeklong event.

Senior Minister Abdulrauf Macacua of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) said on Thursday, February 2, he is grateful to the police and the military for ensuring the safety of the BARMM capitol here as the 4^th regional anniversary merrymaking proceeded.

“For that, we are thankful to the Police Regional Office-Bangsamoro Autonomous Region (PRO-BAR) and the 6^th Infantry Division of the Philippine Army,” Macacua said.

Minister Paisalin Tago of the Ministry of Transportation and Communications told reporters he was elated with how employees of agencies under him participated in all of the activities during the celebration of BARMM’s 4^th founding anniversary.

“There was enormous zeal, utmost enthusiasm among them,” Tago said.

The BARMM was established in early 2019, after residents in its proposed core territory then – the provinces of Maguindanao, Lanao del Sur, Basilan, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi and the cities of Cotabato, Lamitan and Marawi – voted for the ratification of its charter, the Republic Act 11054.

The creation of BARMM was premised on two compacts between the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, the 2012 Framework on Bangsamoro and the 2014 Comprehensive Agreement on Bangsamoro, replacing the less empowered Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.

“The creation of BARMM was not an easy process. It is, thus, fitting to commemorate its creation every January,” BARMM’s Deputy Senior Minister Abdullah Cusain said.

Cusain said he and Macacua are also grateful to the provincial and city officials in all of BARMM component provinces and cities for their presence in some of the important events at the Bangsamoro regional capitol.

Regional spokesperson Naguib Sinarimbo, who is BARMM’s local government minister, said the seven-day 4^th regional anniversary celebration was a showcase of what the still infant Bangsamoro government had accomplished in 48 months and what it aims to do in years to come in terms of governance and in furthering the Mindanao peace process.

Local Government Secretary Benjamin Abalos, Jr., who was the special guest to the event facilitated by Sinarimbo’s office during the anniversary feast, had said in a message that he was impressed with how far the Bangsamoro government had gone in strengthening governance in its territory, in the context of autonomy based in RA 11054.

The activities during the seven-day anniversary commemoration were capped off with presentations that showed the religious and cultural solidarity among BARMM residents, according to Brig Gen. John Guyguyon, director of the regional police.

“That for me is so important because I belong to an indigenous community in Luzon,” he said. (JOHN UNSON)