By Genalyn Kabiling
Two public servants have earned praises from President Duterte for their contribution to the implementation of the law creating the Bangsamoro autonomous region.
President Rodrigo Roa Duterte delivers his speech during the 2019 Eid'l Fitr Celebration at the Arcadia Active Lifestyle Center in Davao City on June 6, 2019. (TOTO LOZANO/PRESIDENTIAL PHOTO / MANILA BULLETIN)
At the Eid’l Fitr celebration in Davao City last Thursday night, the President paid tribute to former Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process Jesus Dureza and his successor Carlito Galvez Jr. for their hard work in carrying out peace building initiatives in the south.
"Itong Bangsamoro Law. Ang nagtiyaga talaga nito mga military. Military sila noon, hindi na sila military ngayon. But I’d like to thank the people who really toiled ng --- ‘yung nagpapawis, makiusap kung ano na lang ginagawa. Of course, you have Dureza for all of these years he was there [The military really works hard for the Bangsamoro law.
They were military men then, they're not in the military now. But I'd like to thank the people who really toiled, who really worked hard and appealed. Of course you have Dureza for all of these years he was there]," he said.
"Then the guy who really just jumpstarted it again, si General Galvez. ‘Yung sa… Sir, salamat for your… Kinausap niya lahat para magkaroon tayo ng kapayapaan ," he said.
Galvez, former chief of the Armed Forces, was appointed as the President's peace adviser last January. He took the place of Dureza who resigned amid corruption allegations hurled against some subordinates.
In July 2018, President Duterte signed Republic Act 11054 or the Organic Law for the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).
The new region was formally inaugurated last March, after it was ratified in a plebiscite early this year. At the inaugural ceremony, Duterte expressed hope that Bangsamoro regional government would promote good governance, transparency, accountability, and inclusive political empowerment in the region.
In his speech Thursday, the President renewed his commitment to promote lasting peace and stability across the country, particularly Mindanao, and asked the public to rally behind such pursuit.
"With the creation of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao—a campaign promise that we delivered—we can work more closely and efficiently with our Bangsamoro brothers and sisters in our pursuit to foster a more harmonious and meaningful relationship among all ethnic groups in the region," he added.