COBATO CITY (MindaNews / 9 July) — As she concludes her four-year tenure as the United Kingdom’s Ambassador to the Philippines, Laure Beaufils made her final official visit to Cotabato City, emphasizing the indispensable role of journalists and civil society organizations in ensuring the integrity and success of the Bangsamoro Region’s inaugural parliamentary elections this October. During her July 8-9 visit, she paid respects to partners in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) with whom she has worked closely. “The work that civil society organizations and journalists are doing to make that happen is essential because it’s about making sure citizens are aware of these elections, aware of their rights and their responsibility to go out and vote and to empower candidates to express themselves and make sure that their views are well known as well,” she explained. The Ambassador stressed that while significant progress has been made in the BARMM over the past four years—including a visible increase in entrepreneurship, private sector activity, and a general sense of trust and well-being—the peace process is still “quite young.” She acknowledged that “there are still outstanding issues” that require continued commitment from all stakeholders to find “fair, transparent and inclusive” solutions, particularly concerning normalization. Beaufils expressed enthusiasm for the BARMM’s parliamentary system, a model that closely resembles the UK’s own decentralized governance. “It’s a system that can work,” she affirmed, noting the parallels with Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales. She expressed no doubt that the system, which has already been operational under the transitional authority, will continue to function effectively once the newly elected parliamentarians take office. BARMM Interim Chief Minister Abdulraof “Sammy” Macacua, in his meeting with Beaufils, reaffirmed the UK government’s support for peace, stability, and good governance in the region. “I sincerely thank her for the trust, support, and meaningful partnership she has extended to the Bangsamoro. We look forward to welcoming you once again, Ambassador. Mabuhay ka!” Macacua said. Mariam Ali, executive director of Mindanao Organizations for Social and Economic Progress, Inc. (MOSEP), thanked Beaufils for her well-entrenched inclusivity support in strengthening democracy for BARMM. This support extended to marginalized Bangsamoro persons with disabilities (PWDs), women, the elderly, indigenous groups, and those in far-flung communities, ensuring their votes were counted in recent elections and will be in the upcoming parliamentary elections. Ambassador Beaufils, who is set to depart the Philippines next week, highlighted her confidence in the BARMM’s progress but underscored that the upcoming elections represent a “critical moment” for the autonomous region. “The world is watching. We are aware that this is a critical moment. We are watching, we care, we stand by you and we think that this is an integral and important part of the journey in peace process,” she stated in a media briefing. (Ferdinandh Cabrera / MindaNews)
