Metro Manila, Philippines — The Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation and Unity (OPAPRU) has expressed its full support for the newly elected local officials of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), as part of the national government’s ongoing commitment to the region’s peace and development.
Presidential Peace Adviser Secretary Carlito G. Galvez Jr. reaffirmed this commitment during the Mandatory Onboarding for Newly-Elected Local Chief Executives (LCEs) held from June 23 to 26, 2025, in Metro Manila.
“Guided by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s directive to fulfill the remaining commitments under all our peace agreements, the national government shall work hand in hand with the BARMM leadership to uphold peace, unity, and moral governance in the region,” Galvez said.
Galvez urged the newly elected governors, city mayors, and municipal mayors of the BARMM to remain steadfast in practicing Moral Governance, a guiding principle of the Bangsamoro government. He expressed confidence that the new leaders would carry forward this standard across all levels of government.
“Rest assured that the OPAPRU remains committed to supporting the BARMM and its LCEs through intergovernmental collaboration as well as community-driven peacebuilding mechanisms, programs, and projects,” he added.
The four-day onboarding, organized by the Ministry of the Interior and Local Government (MILG-BARMM), gathered 113 newly elected officials from across the region. The program aimed to facilitate their smooth transition into office and to strengthen local leadership in alignment with the Bangsamoro Local Governance Code (Bangsamoro Autonomy Act No. 49).
OPAPRU Executive Director Jordan Bayam, who heads the agency’s Office for Bangsamoro Transformation Cluster, also joined the event to highlight the importance of sustained national and regional collaboration.
The onboarding is seen as a strategic move to build strong, accountable, and responsive local government units, laying the groundwork for inclusive development and long-lasting peace in the Bangsamoro region.