Statement of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation, and Unity on the COVID-19 Precautionary and Safety Measures in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao

The Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP) is one with the world and the Filipino people as we battle the COVID-19 pandemic.

OPAPP supports all measures and guidelines set by President Rodrigo Roa Duterte, particularly precautionary and safety measures against COVID-19 implemented through the Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases (AITF-EID).

As part of our agency’s efforts to monitor the situation in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) and neighboring areas, OPAPP has created OPAPP Coordinating Center Mindanao on COVID-19.

This Coordinating Center has been working closely with the line agencies and local government units (LGUs) in the BARMM and neighboring areas, making sure to strictly adhere to all national and local guidelines for first responders.

Our main priority at this point is the health and safety of the Bangsamoro people, and those who are now in the frontlines. We need to ensure that residents are provided with relief assistance as quarantine measures are strictly enforced.

Moreover, we recognize the importance of allowing our government agencies to function as efficiently as possible despite the logistical limitations we are currently confronting in the area.

We believe that preventing the spread of the corona virus cannot be done through separate interventions by local government units (LGUs) but through concerted action as provided by the guidelines of the President and the IATF- EID. The need for greater complementation and coordination among LGUs, government agencies, and the whole Filipino Community will be critical in this effort.

We, therefore, urge the BARMM’s regional and local chief executives, legislators, personnel, and most especially, the people, to work together as one as we address the situation in the best way possible.

In particular, we would like to commend the region’s LGUs and neighboring areas for promptly setting up task forces to monitor and mitigate the spread of the disease. Through these task forces, we shall be able to effectively respond to pressing issues and concerns as they arise.

We are facing a humanitarian crisis that will test our resolve as a nation. The virus sets no boundaries, whether political or cultural. It is an invisible enemy that can hit anyone at any time.

Let us unite in these critical and trying times with conviction and compassion, and help those who are most vulnerable or may already be afflicted by the disease.

Let us stay vigilant as we carry out our duties as first responders and citizens. Although the borders of our communities may be closed from each other, we can still work together using the Whole-of-Nation Approach.

Let us observe home quarantine, social distancing, strengthen our immune system, and other health measures as outlined by the IATF, the Department of Health (DOH) and the World Health Organization (WHO) so that we can prevent the disease from spreading and keep ourselves strong and healthy.

Finally, I would like to commend the men and women who are in the frontlines – medical personnel, doctors, nurses, social workers, government workers, soldiers, policemen, guards, utility personnel and other essential service providers – for your sacrifice, hard work and commitment to serve the Filipino people beyond the call of duty and health risk.

Together, we shall win this battle. May God bless all of us.