It has been said that an election is not only a test of a nation’s character but also a gauge of its governance system. The May 12 midterm election showed that the Philippines is underpinned by the principles of democracy, integrity, and respect for human rights.

In the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), the election was considered a critical turning point as well as a litmus test for its people, whose region and government were established just six years ago.

Amid incidents of violence in some parts of the BARMM, it is worth noting that there was no reported failure of elections in the area, which augurs well for the region as a whole. We hope that this positive trend continues.

We laud everyone who was responsible for ensuring the generally peaceful, orderly, and credible conduct of the elections in the region, particularly the Comelec, and the security sector led by the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Philippine National Police.

Credit must also be given to members of civil society and the academe for helping to create a greater awareness among the people on the importance of the political exercise, while helping to protect the sanctity of the ballot.

We likewise commend the various peace mechanisms under the Government of the Philippines and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) Peace Panels, which helped ensure the safety and security of voters.

The joint Coordinating Committee on the Cessation of Hostilities and the Ad Hoc Joint Action Group successfully implemented the guidelines on ceasefire-related protocols, which helped diffuse tensions and prevented the escalation of conflict.

Most importantly, we congratulate the Bangsamoro people for the political maturity they demonstrated during the elections. Despite attempts of vote-buying and coercion by some candidates, the people stood their ground and voted according to their conscience.

With the results in, I respectfully call upon all elected officials to pursue healing and reconciliation. It is essential that we rise above the adversarial and parochial nature of politics and focus on our primary mandate -- uplifting the lives of our people.

Being an elected official bestows upon you the duties and responsibilities of a civil servant who must, first and foremost, ensure the welfare of his and her constituents. Public service is a public trust.

The Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation and Unity looks forward to working closely with the new leaders in the Bangsamoro, especially in advancing the program of Localizing Normalization Implementation (LNI), which aims to capacitate and empower provincial government units in the BARMM to implement the Normalization Program.

Crucial to this effort is the active involvement of the provincial governors who have been tasked to take the lead in carrying out critical peace, development, and security interventions in their respective areas.

We are, therefore, pleased that the BARMM governors have positively responded to the program by helping the national government and the MILF transformed former combatants, alleviate the economic status of their families, and strengthen the resiliency of the communities.

Key to the LNI program is also to address the proliferation of loose firearms and the presence of private armed groups.

We saw the successful implementation of the LNI in the island province of Basilan, Lanao provinces, and Maguindanao del Norte, where a significant number of unlicensed firearms have been turned in to the military, as well as the neutralization of members of lawless organizations operating in the said areas.

As the first parliamentary elections in the BARMM draw near, we expect the same level of support and commitment coming from the BARMM regional, provincial, and municipal governments and other local stakeholders to help ensure the success of the landmark political exercise.

The region’s political leaders are also expected to play a key role in the upcoming election. Having the trust and respect of their people, they must help ensure that the election will be peaceful, orderly, and credible.

No less than President Ferdinand R. Marcos has underscored the significance of the Bangsamoro peace process, making it the centerpiece of his administration’s peace, reconciliation and unity agenda.

As we have emphasized, time and again, violence, coercion and intimidation has no place in a just, democratic, and human rights-based society. We, therefore, appeal to our Bangsamoro brothers and sisters to reject such acts that sow fear, discord, and animosity among our people.

We are, therefore, inspired by Chief Minister Abdulrauf Macacua, who said in a statement: “This election season has reminded us that our strength lies not in division, but in our collective pursuit of peace, justice, and development.”

Truly, the future of the BARMM rests in the hands of its people.

(Secretary Carlito G. Galvez, Jr., is the presidential adviser on peace, reconciliation and unity.)