Marcos Urges Filipinos to Protect, Strengthen Peace Process

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Tuesday called on Filipinos to protect and strengthen the gains of the country’s peace process, stressing that peace and development are inseparable. Speaking at the opening of the 2026 National Peace Consciousness Month, Marcos said peace allows communities to build better lives and plan for the future. “The milestones we commemorate today tell us that peace entails responsibility. It must be chosen. It must be lived, protected, and strengthened every single day,” Marcos said in a speech at Malacanang Palace. “Mga kababayan, lahat tayo ay may tungkulin upang mas mapatibay ang kapayapaan sa ating bansa. Kapayapaan ang binhi ng kaunlaran. Nawa’y alagaan natin ito upang sama-sama natin aanihin ang bunga ng isang mas maunlad na Pilipinas,” he added. (My countrymen, we all have a duty to further strengthen peace in our country. Peace is the seed of development. May we nurture it so that together we can reap the fruits of a more prosperous Philippines.) Marcos said the observance was particularly significant as the country marks the 30th anniversary of the 1996 Final Peace Agreement between the government and the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF), and the 40th anniversary of the 1986 Mount Data-Sipat Peace Accord with the Cordillera-Bodong Administration and Cordillera People’s Liberation Army. “Our work is not yet finished,” Marcos said. The President said the gains of the peace process could be further strengthened through democratic institutions, particularly with the upcoming first parliamentary elections in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) on September 14. “We assure that this administration will do everything within our mandate to ensure that the elections are safe, peaceful, and credible,” he said. “We will protect the right of every Bangsamoro voter to cast a ballot freely and without fear,” Marcos added. The President also highlighted the signing of the agreement on the fulfillment of the 1986 Mount Data Peace Accord, which he described as “the first peace agreement in our country’s history to be meaningfully fulfilled.” He said the government would continue supporting the Cordillera’s aspirations for autonomy and ensuring that peace translates into development and opportunities. Marcos also urged Filipinos to remain united despite differences. “We share one home. We share one future. We share one Filipino identity,” he said. —RF, GMA News