NORTHERN KABUNTALAN, Maguindanao del Norte — This town’s mayor and a Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) commander urged Bangsamoro residents “to go out and vote” in the region’s first parliamentary elections today, describing the ballot as a way to advance the Moro people’s long pursuit of self-governance and lasting peace.Mayor Umbra Ramil Dilangalen said participating in the election would show that Bangsamoro residents continue to believe in the aspirations that led to the creation of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).“We need to go out and vote to show that we remain committed to our aspiration for self-governance,” Dilangalen said.
READ: Regular voting period for BARMM polls now openThe mayor, a senior citizen, said the parliamentary system reflects “what generations of Moro fighters had sought in their struggle for recognition and the right to govern their own affairs.”“It may not be full independence, but we will have the right to govern ourselves and, for the first time, have our own parliamentary government here in BARMM,” he said.Dilangalen said voting was also a way of honoring those who did not live to see the establishment of the Bangsamoro government.“Their dream was for the Bangsamoro to have an identity. That is what we should demonstrate,” he said.For his part, Bobby Pananggalan, an MILF commander in Northern Kabuntalan, said participation in the elections should ultimately help secure lasting peace in the region after decades of conflict.“Our vote is rooted in achieving lasting peace for the Bangsamoro,” he said.
READ: 17-year peace process faces test in Bangsamoro pollsDespite the political competition among the political parties and candidates in the parliamentary elections, the commander said MILF members on the ground would respect the outcome and support the winners.
For Dilangalen and MILF commander Pananggalan, the election represents a shift in how the Bangsamoro’s aspirations are pursued from decades of armed struggle to participation in a political system where residents choose their representatives through the ballot./coa
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