Refocusing Perspectives

NAMFREL, a Philippine-based accredited citizens’ election monitoring organization, will also pro-actively independently observe and document the electoral process before, during, and after the 1st BARMM Parliamentary Elections as a parallel transparent public oversight. This includes monitoring election preparations, campaign activities, social media, polling and counting procedures, and the Random Manual Audit. NAMFREL also reports electoral concerns and irregularities to the appropriate authorities and promotes transparency, accountability, and public confidence in the elections. They will also be working in parallel with the rest of the global election monitors and the Comelec but focused on the election results and outcomes. NAMFREL has substantial technical capacity to monitor the BARMM election through its established systems for election observation, field data collection, incident reporting, results verification, and electoral auditing. Its structured observation methodology en...

With the eyes of the world on the Bangsamoro, 108 global monitors have been deployed while the Philippine military and MILF commanders iron out local tensions to guarantee security just two days ahead of the region's historic first parliamentary elections. A total of 108 international observers from 16 organizations and delegations have arrived to monitor the historic first Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) Parliamentary Elections. The Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation and Unity (OPAPRU) confirmed the deployment, which includes delegates from the International Republican Institute (IRI), the Asian Network for Free Elections (ANFREL), the National Democratic Institute (NDI), and the embassies of Japan, Australia, the United Kingdom, China and the State of Palestine. Observers include the specialized and humanitarian bodies like the Grand National Assembly of Türkiye, International Jurists Union and representatives from EU, IRI, The Asi...

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The evolution of the Government of the Philippines-Moro Islamic Liberation Front (GPH-MILF) peace process has been shaped by the differing strategic doctrines, political wills, and peace architectures established by consecutive Presidents of the Republic. Spanning from the formal splitting of the MILF from the MNLF in the late 1970s and early 1980s to the realization of the current autonomous parliament, each administration has dramatically pivoted the trajectory of the peace panels. a. Fidel V. Ramos (1992–1998)  President Fidel V. Ramos laid the foundational groundwork for institutionalized peacemaking by establishing the Six Paths to Peace through Executive Order No. 125, which recognized that structural reforms must accompany military actions. While his administration achieved the historic 1996 Final Peace Agreement with the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF), Ramos recognized the growing threat of the MILF splinter faction led by Salamat Hashim. In 1997, his administration ...

Assessing the progress under the official roadmap of the GPH-MILF Peace Process—guided by the 2014 Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB)—reveals a stark contrast between a highly successful Political Track and a deeply strained Normalization Track. As the region prepares for the historic, repeatedly postponed BARMM Parliamentary Elections now scheduled for September 14, 2026, the status of their achievements reflects both monumental institutional milestones and fragile security bottlenecks. The Political Track has achieved structural triumphs, beginning with the 2019 ratification of the Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL) which replaced the old ARMM with an empowered BARMM. Under the interim leadership of the Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA), led by MILF Chairman Ahod "Al Haj Murad" Ebrahim, core legislation like the Bangsamoro Electoral Code was passed, establishing a unique parliamentary framework where half of the 80 seats are allocated to regional political partie...