PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte on Monday, July 22, sought to look for ways to spur the economic development of the newly created Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).

Duterte made the statement as he renewed his vow to bring long-lasting peace and order in the Bangsamoro region.

"Developmental gains will not be felt by our people in the countryside if we cannot maintain law and order. Iyang peace and order, we need to enforce the law. After almost two decades of peace negotiations with teh Bangsamoro Organic Law, [it] was finally passed and ratified," he said during his fourth State of the Nation Address.

"It is my hope that the Bangsamoro transition will fast track the establishment of regional government that will secure a comfortable life for Muslim brothers and sisters and all indigenous communities in the Bangsamoro region," he added.

The BARMM was established following the January 21 and February 6 plebiscites that ratified the historic Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL), which is anchored on the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro signed between the national government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) in 2014.

The BARMM, created under the BOL in place of the now-defunct Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, enjoys expanded land and water jurisdiction, greater fiscal autonomy, and increased share in national government resources, among others.

The new Bangsamoro region is composed of Lanao del Sur, Maguindanao, Basilan, Sulu, Tawi-Tawi, Marawi City, Lamitan City, Cotabato City, and 63 villages in North Cotabato. (Ruth Abbey Gita/SunStar Philippines)