President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. met with governors and influential figures from the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) to reinforce cooperation aimed at ensuring peaceful, transparent, and credible elections in May 2025. The meeting, held at Manila’s Aguado Residence, focused on maintaining political stability amid regional tensions tied to the upcoming electoral contest, according to a statement from the Presidential Communications Office (PCO).
Present at the meeting were BARMM provincial governors Hajiman Hataman (Basilan), Yshmael Sali (Tawi-Tawi), Mamintal Adiong (Lanao del Sur), and Abdulraof Macacua (Maguindanao del Norte). Also attending were Special Assistant to the President Antonio Lagdameo Jr., Cotabato Governor Reynaldo Tamayo, Agrarian Reform Secretary Nasser Pangandaman, and Mindanao Development Authority head Leo Magno. Gubernatorial candidates Datu Tucao Mastura (Maguindanao del Norte) and Datu Ali Midtimbang (Maguindanao del Sur) also joined the discussions.
According to the PCO, SAP Lagdameo led a comprehensive consultation at the President’s request to strengthen cooperation between Manila and BARMM leaders. This alliance aims to address the unique challenges facing the Bangsamoro region and to support the government’s development agenda for the area.
The discussions also touched on the implications of the Supreme Court’s recent decision excluding Sulu from BARMM’s jurisdiction, a ruling that the Bangsamoro government has appealed to overturn.
Earlier, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) Chairman George Garcia announced increased military and police deployments in BARMM to secure the filing process for certificates of candidacy (COCs) from November 4-9. Garcia emphasized that this precaution should not suggest that the government views BARMM as prone to electoral violence.