President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. congratulated all duly elected members of the Bangsamoro Parliament, following the first-ever BARMM Parliamentary Elections.

In a statement released Wednesday, October 14, the president acknowledged the recent election as a milestone in the Bangsamoro Region’s pursuit of self-governance and lasting peace.

“The successful conduct of the elections shows that the political process is proceeding at such a good pace,” Marcos said.

“The Bangsamoro people have long aspired for genuine autonomy and right to govern themselves. It is important to respect and uphold this aspiration, which lies at the heart of the Bangsamoro peace process,” he added.

With this, the president reiterated the national government’s support and respect for the region’s autonomy and democratic institutions.

“We respect Parliament’s authority to determine its leadership in accordance with the Bangsamoro Organic Law,” he said, adding that he looks forward to working with the government formally constituted by the Parliament.

In an interview with Magandang Umaga Pilipinas in September, COMELEC Chairman George Garcia said that nearly 2.1 million voters cast their ballots out of the 2.393 million registered voters.

The 80-member seat is composed of 40 representatives, 32 district representatives, and 8 sectoral representatives. Among them are the Bangsamoro Federalist Party (BFP) and the United Bangsamoro Justice Party (UBJP), who led the regional parliamentary party race.

“The national government will continue to support a strong, autonomous, and peaceful Bangsamoro,” Marcos ended.