Assembly of BARMM’s pioneer political party members set

COTABATO CITY — Organizers, among them peace advocates supporting Malacañang’s effort to put closure to the nagging “Moro issue,” are expecting at least 10,000 people to participate in the February 17 general assembly of the pioneer regional political party in the Bangsamoro region.

The United Bangsamoro Justice Party (UBJP), organized together about three years ago by the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, various peace advocacy blocs and local executives, has members in the six provinces and three cities in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.

Senior officials of the BARMM government, who are also UBJP members, announced on Thursday that all is set for its grand “peace assembly” on Saturday.

Nas Dunding, chief of UBJP’s secretariat group, said on Thursday that the gathering of party members shall be held at the parade ground in the campus of the Cotabato State University in Cotabato City.

The UBJP’s figurehead is BARMM Chief Minister Ahod Balawag Ebrahim, who is chairman of the MILF's central committee.

The UBJP, the first ever regional party in the autonomous region, was organized about a year after the then 28-year Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao was replaced in early 2019 with a more politically and administratively empowered BARMM based on the revolutionary front’s compact with the national government, the 2014 Comprehensive Agreement on Bangsamoro.

Members of UBJP in the 80-seat BARMM parliament told reporters that part of the event on Saturday is the election of its new set of officers and dialogues on how members and party supporters can cooperate in sustaining the gains of the peace deal between the national government and the MILF.

“Security preparations for this big event are now in place as requested by organizers. Units of the Police Regional Office-Bangsamoro Autonomous Region, particularly the Cotabato City Police Office, shall secure the venue of the gathering,” PRO-BAR’s director, Brig. Gen. Allan Nobleza, said on Thursday morning.

The physician-ophthalmologist in the 80-seat regional lawmaking body, Parliament Member Kadil Sinolinding Jr., said that he has requested their regional health ministry to organize an interim service