Photo courtesy of Presidential Communications
COTABATO CITY—Most Reverend Archbishop Charles John Brown, Papal Nuncio to the Philippines, lauded the administration of President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. for the notable developments in the Bangsamoro autonomous region.
“The international community supports and indeed congratulates the Philippines for the impressive progress that has been made in these years through the Bangsamoro peace process,” Brown, also the Dean of the Diplomatic Corps, said during the Vin d’honneur, “Wine of Honor,” in Malacañang, Metro Manila on June 12.
President Marcos emphasized the significance of dialogue, particularly in the context of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), to achieve lasting peace and bring fruition to the peace accord.
On Wednesday, during the commemoration of 126th Independence Day, the President highlighted that concerted efforts to strengthen interventions for the BARMM will continue to not ‘disappoint’ the Bangsamoro people.
“If we want to make a world of safety and prosperity for our children, the way forward for all of us is the same path that has brought the hope of peace to the people of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, and that is the path of dialogue—patient, serious dialogue, together with respect for international law and a respect for legitimate diversity,” Marcos said.
On March 27, 2014, the Government of the Philippines (GPH) and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) forged a strong alliance by signing the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB), the final peace accord that ended over 20 years of armed struggle.
The Archbishop also emphasized President Marcos’s ‘noble and honorable aspiration’ to ensure a peaceful BARMM and Philippines, mentioning the upcoming 10th anniversary of the signing of the CAB.
History shows that former President General Emilio Aguinaldo proclaimed Philippine Independence on June 12, 1898, in Cavite, celebrating the country’s freedom from 333 years of Spanish colonial subjugation.
Signed in August 1964 under former President Diosdado Macapagal’s administration, Republic Act No. 4166 declares June 12 as Philippine Independence Day every year. (Johamin Inok/BIO with reports from PCO)
