Police, military cited for securing inaugural BARMM parliament session

COTABATO CITY, Philippines — Local executives and regional officials lauded on Saturday, October 31, the Army’s 6th Infantry Division and the Police Regional Office-Bangsamoro Autonomous Region for together ensuring tranquility in this city during the first-ever session of the newly elected members of the Bangsamoro parliament.

The event was held on Friday at the 32-hectare regional government center of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao in uptown Cotabato City.

Tension then in Cotabato City was high owing to perceptions that saboteurs were out to disrupt the activity for various reasons, including alleged rivalries between groups that have favored bets for chief minister of the now duly-mandated Bangsamoro parliament.

The interim chief minister of  BARMM,  Abdulraof Macacua, was nominated by 51 of the 80 members of the parliament on Friday, a tacit imprimatur for him to lead the now the duly-mandated parliament, composed of members elected during the September 14 first-ever BARMM parliamentary polls. 

Macacua was elected then as representative of a parliamentary district covering parts of Cotabato City and Maguindanao del Norte province. 

“There was peace in all four corners of Cotabato City while the inaugural session of the Bangsamoro parliament was held in the Bangsamoro capitol. No untoward incident happened in the city at that time.  We are thankful to the police and the military for having secured the entire Cotabato City on Friday,” said Macacua, who, as chief minister, is also chairman of BARMM’s multi-sector Regional Peace and Order Council.

Macacua and BARMM Local Government Minister Jordan Bayam separately lauded the officials of the 6th ID, under Brig. Gen. Edgar Catu, and the PRO-BAR, which is led by Police Brig. Gen. Christopher M. Abecia, for their security support for the inaugural session of the duly elected parliament members at the Bangsamoro capitol in uptown Cotabato City.   =

“To all of them, we are grateful,” said Cotabato City Mayor Bruce Matabalao, who, along with his constituent barangay officials, supported the security missions then of the 6th ID and all units of PRO-BAR and the Cotabato City Police Office, under Col. Jibin Bongcayao.

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