Rizal Hall, Malacañan Palace
February 22, 2019
President Rodrigo Roa Duterte expressed elation upon accepting the resolution containing the results of the plebiscite on Republic Act No. 11054 or the Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL) in a ceremony at the Rizal Hall in Malacañan Palace.
Commission on Elections (COMELEC) Chairperson Sheriff Abas led the presentation of the plebiscite results prior to the oath-taking of the Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA) members administered by President Duterte.
According to the Chief Executive, the administration vows to maximize its resources to ensure better governance and inclusive political empowerment in the new Bangsamoro region. He added that the BOL ratification enables the administration to create an environment conducive for peaceful coexistence among the Muslims, Christians, Lumads, and all other tribes.
“The Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao is not just the fulfillment of a campaign promise. It will be the realization of our collective desire. It will be the realization of all our dreams and end long decades of armed struggle that hindered the growth of the region and I also consider my home,” he said.
Upon accepting the plebiscite canvass results, President Duterte announced the appointment of Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) Chair Al Haj Murad Ebrahim as the Interim Chief Minister of the BTA composed of 80 members.
“The road to peace may be long and rough, but I am glad that we have finally reached its endpoint. My only hope is that we put to rest the bitter memories of the past so that we can build a new region that is bound, not by ethnic or religious affiliation, but by a common aspiration for peaceful coexistence among our fellow Filipinos,” he added.
President Duterte urged the crowd – composed of national government officials, BTA members, and the Central Committee of the MILF and the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) – to continually build an institution ‘that is founded on the rule of law, the promotion of good governance, and the defense [of] our most cherished democratic values.’
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