President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. assured on Monday, March 26, that his administration will continue to build on the “political and  normalization tracks” of the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB), which was signed nine years ago. The agreement, which sought to promote peace in Mindanao, and eventually led to the creation of the present Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), was signed on March 27, 2014 during the administration of the late president Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III. “Under this administration, the political and  normalization tracks of the peace agreement continue to gain momentum. Our partners in the BARMM continue to deliver on their commitments in both tracks, with the recent passing of the critical Bangsamoro Electoral Code,” Marcos said in a video message. He was referring to the approval of the region’s electoral law, which would prescribe the structural, functional, and procedural principles of the elections, referenda, and recall proceedings in the BARMM. The law would pave the way for the formation of genuinely principled political parties in the Bangsamoro region, which comprised of Basilan (except Isabela City), Lanao del Sur, Maguindanao, Sulu, Tawi-Tawi, the City of Cotabato, and the 63 barangays from different municipalities of Cotabato province. “Today, we celebrate the  9th Anniversary of the signing of the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro, marking another milestone in the Bangsamoro peace process and the testament for the firm commitment of our government and our people to sustain and built on the gains of peace in the Bangsamoro,” the Chief Executive said. “For nine years the peace pact has stood firm and the Bangsamoro people have thrived and flourished. We shall ensure that they continue to do so,” he added. Marcos promised that the national government would do its part in fulfilling its commitment under the peace agreements to see its full implementation. “We shall not waver from this,” he said. While the “path to lasting peace is always under construction,” Marcos underscored the importance of building and walking the path “together” so the next generations of Filipinos “shall live lives of prosperity and of peace.” Peace in the region, he added, will not only benefit the Bangsamoro region, but it is also for a “new Philippines.”