COTABATO CITY — Moro civic groups in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) have thrown their support behind the presidential bid of Vice President Leni Robredo.
This was the consensus during a meeting Tuesday by Bangsamoro Supports Leni for Justice and Peace (BSLJP), a coming together of civil society and people’s organizations in the Bangsamoro region.
“If elected President, Robredo can be the best partner of the leaders of the Bangsamoro region in their campaign for moral governance because she has been consistent in her anti-corruption drive,” said BSLJP spokesperson Abdulhadi Daguit.
The leadership of the BARMM espouses moral governance, the core components of which include transparency, integrity, fairness, involvement, accountability, responsiveness, and the absence of corruption.
“We believe that Leni can sustain the gains of the peace process between the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF),” said Daguit, who served as commissioner of the National Commission on Muslim Filipinos during the time of President Benigno Aquino III.
When she was a congresswoman, Robredo was among those who authored the Bangsamoro Basic Law, the charter of the Bangsamoro government that was drafted within the framework of the peace deal between the government and MILF.
The leadership of the MILF has yet to announce their preferred bets for president and vice president. The MILF, through the United Bangsamoro Justice Party, has been backing local political hopefuls in the May 9 polls.
The MILF leads the Bangsamoro Transition Authority, the interim government of the region, until mid-2025.
The BSLJP will be launched on Feb. 19 in Cotabato City, the seat of the BARMM.