President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Friday rallied troops of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) in Sulu to ensure the holding of a peaceful election for the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) parliament next year.

The BARMM parliamentary elections must be peaceful and safe, Marcos told the 11th Infantry Division of the Philippine Army (PA) in the province.

“Kailangan natin magkaroon ng peaceful na election sa darating na halalan,” Marcos said. “Napakahalaga dahil kailangan nating masabi na nahalal itong mga members of the parliament, na nahala ito nang tama,” he added.

The President called on the AFP to make sure the political exercise is not disrupted by terrorism and political violence. “Walang terrorism, walang political violence. Basta’t minimized natin lahat ‘yan.”

This will be the first time for the country to conduct parliamentary elections for BARMM. The polls will coincide with the midterm legislative elections on May 12, 2025.

Marcos reminded the uniformed personnel that elections should be won in peace.

“Let us not sit on our laurels kung baga. Let us not become complacent because these are challenges that we will have to manage,” the President said. “At alam naman natin na napakalahaga na maganda ang takbo ng halalan, maganda ang pagpatakbo ng BARMM pagakatapos ng halalan,” he said.

Peace in Mindanao is a priority of the government, the President stressed. “That is all in the interest of peace. We do this because we want peace to continue in this area, in the Southern Philippines. We do not want to see the kind of fighting that we saw many decades ago.”

Sulu is one of the provinces under BARMM, along with Basilan, Lanao del Sur, Maguindanao, and Tawi Tawi. Presidential News Desk