PICC, Pasay City
February 8, 2024
“This meeting of the National Government and the Bangsamoro Government Intergovernmental Relations Body or IGRB – the sixth under my Administration and the first meeting for the year – reaffirms our shared commitment not just to peace, but to peace with progress,” said President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. as he led the 17th Meeting of the National Government – Bangsamoro Government Intergovernmental Relations Body (IGRB) at the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC) in Pasay City.
Speaking before the IGRB members, the President recognized the activation of seven (7) mechanisms during the 16th IGRB Meeting in November 2023, which will serve as the foundation for all laws and policies enacted by the Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA) Parliament. These mechanisms include the Philippine Congress-Bangsamoro Parliament Forum (PCBPF), Intergovernmental Fiscal Policy Board (IFPB), Joint Body for the Zones of Joint Cooperation (JBZJC), Intergovernmental Infrastructure Development Board (IIDB), Intergovernmental Energy Board (IEB), Bangsamoro Sustainable Development Board (BSDB) and the Council of Leaders (COL).
He also congratulated the BTA for the passing of the following priority codes: the Bangsamoro Administrative Code, the Bangsamoro Civil Service Code, the Bangsamoro Education Code, the Bangsamoro Electoral Code and the Bangsamoro Local Governance Code, as the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) gears up for the first regional parliamentary elections in May 2025.
“For these are major pillars in strengthening the rule of law, upon which peace is founded. These will be the institutions to which you will hold fast as you build your government and bring our people to progress. I would even venture to say that ‘Bagong Pilipinas’ is incomplete without a ‘Bagong Bangsamoro’ rising along and within it,” he said.
With this year marking the last full term of the extended transition period for the establishment of the Bangsamoro Government, the President reminded them of their crucial role in ensuring a democratic election process.
“We must remind ourselves that we are now operating under different rules and that we cannot allow forces outside of the democratic process to deviate our dreams and our aspirations from a democratic process, let us not allow even one single voter to be disenfranchised by violence, by intimidation or by bribery. That is the job we have in front of us,” he emphasized.
The Chief Executive also outlined various economic opportunities for the Bangsamoro Region, such as the non-project grant aid with Japan for the acquisition of a US$ 6.8 million worth of Construction Equipment for Road Network Improvement and Disaster Quick Response Operation in BARMM, and the joint awarding of Petroleum Service Contracts and Coal Operating Contracts that would address energy concerns in the Region.
Furthermore, he congratulated the Bangsamoro Board of Investments for generating PhP3.3 billion worth of investments in the last three (3) months of 2023, which is projected to create employment for 1,927 workers.
“A stronger BARMM means a stronger Mindanao, and a stronger Mindanao means a stronger Philippines, bringing us closer to achieving our agendas,” he concluded in his keynote message.
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