COTABATO CITY (MindaNews / 20 November) — Top officials of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), led by Interim Chief Minister Abdulraof Macacua, have issued a statement on Thursday expressing support for President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s campaign against corruption.
“The leadership of the [BARMM] stands firmly behind [President Marcos Jr.] as he confronts one of the country’s most persistent challenges in corruption,” read the joint statement of Macacua and the governors of the five provinces in the region.
Along with Macacua, Basilan Gov. Mujiv S. Hataman, Lanao del Sur Gov. Mamintal “Bombit” Adiong, Maguindanao del Norte Gov. Datu Tucao Mastura, Maguindanao del Sur Gov. Datu Ali Midtimbang, and Tawi-Tawi Gov. Yshmael “Mang” Sali signed the “Public Statement of Support from the BARMM Chief Minister and Provincial Governors.”
The BARMM officials commended the President for demonstrating “clarity and determination” in recent months. They specifically highlighted the administration’s shift toward “firm, deliberate, and measurable actions” which they believe reflect governance based on substance rather than mere spectacle.
The leaders praised the President for the creation of the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) “to ensure that investigations into anomalous projects are no longer influenced by politics” and the freezing of the assets of those implicated in the anomalous flood-control projects.
“He directed government agencies to recover every peso stolen from the people [and] cancelled all flood-control allocations for 2026 to prevent further abuse,” the BARMM leaders said.
They likewise lauded President Marcos Jr. for insisting that “cases be built on strong, irrefutable evidence so that justice cannot be overturned or diluted.”
“The Bangsamoro government sands with President Marcos in this campaign, united in the belief that honest governance is the foundation of peace, development, and a better future for all Filipinos,” they concluded. (Ferdinandh B. Cabrera / MindaNews)
