Philippines' BARMM Regional Election: A Milestone in Peace and Self-Governance

MANILA — Nearly 2.4 million registered voters in the Philippines' Muslim-majority south are set to cast ballots in the first parliamentary election for the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM). This marks a significant step in concluding a decade-long peace process aimed at ending separatist conflict and completing the transition to elected self-governance. WHAT IS BARMM? The Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) is an autonomous region in the southern Philippines created after voters approved greater self-rule in a 2019 plebiscite. It has a population of about 4.5 million people and covers parts of Mindanao, the Philippines’ second-largest island, as well as Basilan, Tawi-Tawi, Cotabato City and the Special Geographic Area in North Cotabato. It replaced an earlier autonomy arrangement in the Muslim-majority south established under a previous peace agreement. HOW DID BARMM COME ABOUT? In 2014, the Philippine government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), the country’s largest Muslim separatist movement, signed a peace agreement aimed at ending a conflict that killed more than 120,000 people and displaced about 2 million. The agreement called for the creation of a new autonomous political entity in the Muslim-majority south. Its provisions were formalized in a law, enacted in 2018, which granted the region greater political and economic powers. Voters overwhelmingly ratified the law in a 2019 plebiscite, creating BARMM and an interim government tasked with preparing the region for elections. WHY WAS AUTONOMY IMPORTANT? Supporters saw greater self-rule as a way to address long-standing grievances over poverty, marginalization and underdevelopment while reducing support for armed and extremist groups. The need for stability was underscored in 2017, when Islamic State-linked militants occupied Marawi City for five months in the Philippines’ worst urban battle since World War II. Since BARMM was created, supporters point to improvements in economic performance. The region’s economy grew 5.0% in 2025, up from 3.5% in 2024 and faster than the national growth rate of 4.4%, according to regional and national accounts. Poverty has declined in recent years, although the region continues to face significant development challenges. Officials and development agencies say BARMM has significant untapped economic potential in agriculture, fisheries, marine resources, energy and mineral deposits if peace and stability are sustained. WHAT ARE VOTERS CHOOSING? BARMM is the only region in the Philippines governed under a parliamentary system. Voters are electing an 80-member parliament consisting of: 40 party representatives elected through proportional representation; 32 district representatives; eight sectoral representatives. The parliament will then elect the region’s chief minister. Among those competing for power are parties led by former MILF rebels, rival factions that emerged after the peace deal, and traditional political clans. The election will complete the transition from the appointed interim government to an elected regional government, marking the first time the region’s autonomous institutions are being led by officials chosen through elections. — Reuters