MindaNews / 24 March — The Bangsamoro government, which is still under a transition period, has adopted another battlecry: from “moral governance” to “Mas Matatag na Bangsamoro.”

Bangsamoro interim Chief Minister Abdulraof Macacua has formally launched the “Mas Matatag na Bangsamoro” (A Much Stronger Bangsamoro) agenda, a framework that seeks to strengthen governance and institutions across the region for a far more mature and resilient Bangsamoro.

He issued this message to Bangsamoro government officials and workers: “We cannot afford duplication, delays and failure. We owe our people a government that functions — firm, united, and accountable. Under this administration, that is exactly what we will deliver.”

According to him, Bangsamoro constituents do not differentiate between regional and provincial governments or officials as they only see a single government, which should function efficiently and responsibly.

“As I have consistently emphasized in our governance direction, we are not here to experiment with autonomy or change what has been started by my predecessor. We are here to strengthen it,” Macacua said during his speech.

He succeeded Ahod “Al Haj Murad” Ebrahim as Bangsamoro interim chief minister in March last year.

Ebrahim, also the chair of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, was the first chief minister of the BARMM, which was established in 2019.

He anchored his administration’s overarching policy and ethical framework on “moral governance,” a set of rules, practices, and processes “completely devoid of all the evils of graft and corruption, and explicitly driven by the moral principles of utmost dedication, devotion, honesty, justice, and integrity.”

Macacua noted that under his leadership, the Bangsamoro government “must move as one” to make the region much better in terms of governance, economy, security, and social services, among others.

“Hindi pwedeng magkanya-kanya. Hindi pwedeng hindi tugma ang batas, plano, at pagpapatupad (We should not act to each his own. Laws, plans and implementation must be aligned),” he said in a Facebook post.

“The people do not see separate branches. They see one government. And they expect it to deliver,” he added.

According to Macacua, the sacrifices of the Bangsamoro struggle demand more than coordination — they demand discipline, alignment and results.

“That is why we are driving [in] one direction — toward a Mas Matatag na Bangsamoro — anchored on our BARMM priority legislations and the enhanced 12-Point Priority Agenda,” he said.

Unveiled during the Bangsamoro Government Executive–Legislative Forum 2026 on Monday in Metro Manila, the new policy framework serves as the blueprint for the remaining phase of the 2nd Bangsamoro Development Plan (BDP) from 2026 to 2028, “ensuring continuity, consolidation, and a higher level of institutional maturity across the region.”

“A Bangsamoro that is elevated from its established foundations into a higher, fully realized state — confident that the reforms and aspirations that inspired the Bangsamoro struggle are fully embedded and enduring as an institution capable of safeguarding the Bangsamoro with posterity, justice, and dignity for generations to come,” the Mas Matatag na Bangsamoro vision stated.

The Bangsamoro region has yet to conduct its first parliamentary elections, after three postponements.

On Tuesday last week, the Senate finally ratified the bicameral (bicam) committee report resetting the first Bangsamoro polls on the second Monday of September 2026, or September 14.

Senate Majority Floor Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri said that aside from setting the first Bangsamoro election in September 2026, the bicam report scheduled the subsequent elections in the BARMM to coincide with the national and local elections in May 2031, and every three years thereafter.

The winners will assume office on October 30 this year until June 30, 2031, or a five-year term for the winners of the first Bangsamoro parliamentary election, Zubiri said. (Bong S. Sarmiento / MindaNews)