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MANILA — The Inter-Governmental Relations Body (IGRB) held its 20th meeting on October 11, 2024, focusing on critical issues affecting the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM)
It was held to discuss the objective of sustaining and enhancing the progress made towards peace and prosperity in the region.
The IGRB is a mechanism serving as the bridge between the Government of the Philippines (GPH) and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF). It was created to iron out and resolve kinks in the implementation of — and other issues facing — the 2014 Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB).
Implementing the CAB, the fruit of the 17 years peace negotiations between GPH and MILF, is the 2018 Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL).
Department of the Budget and Management (DBM) Secretary and IGRB Co-chair Amenah F. Pangandaman opened the session by highlighting the essential role of the IGRB in preserving the significant gains achieved in the BARMM.
As the IGRB continues its work, the commitment from all parties involved reflects a shared vision of a stable and prosperous BARMM, paving the way for sustained progress and lasting peace in the region.
Key figures in attendance included BARMM Minister and IGRB Co-chair Mohagher M. Iqbal, Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation and Unity (OPAPRU) Secretary Carlito G. Galvez Jr., and Special Assistant to the President Antonio Ernesto Floirendo Lagdameo, Jr.
They were joined by representatives from various National Government Agencies (NGAs) and the Bangsamoro Government, who are all committed to fostering a unified approach to governance and development in BARMM.
The Bangsamoro region, established in 2018 by the Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL) to implement the 2014 Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB), is made up of the provinces of Basilan, Lanao del Sur, Maguindanao del Sur, Maguindanao del Norte, and Tawi-Tawi, the cities of Cotabato, Lamitan, and Marawi, as well as the Special Geographic Area’s (SGA) 63 barangays or villages that voted “Yes” in a plebiscite in February 2019 to be under the BARMM jurisdiction. With the recent plebiscite at SGA, the BARMM now has eight new municipalities as residents voted “Yes”.
According to the Philippine Atlas BARMM has 4,404,288 people. It has 116 municipalities (plus eight newly established under the SGA: Basilan, 11 municipalities; Lanao del Sur, 39; undivided Maguindanao, 36; Sulu, 19; and Tawi-Tawi, 11. Its component cities are Cotabato (the regional center and capital) in Maguindanao; Lamitan in Basilan; and Marawi in Lanao del Sur. (✓)