PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte believes that they have already achieved their goal of making Mindanao peaceful once again, and that the anger of people of Mindanao have already subsided.
In an interview, Duterte sees that the situation in the Mindanao region have already calmed down because of what he said was the solid relationship he established with Muslims in Mindanao.
He said solid proof of this is the establishment of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao or BARMM, wherein Muslims are given the opportunity to lead their region without much trouble coming from armed groups.
He said the only troubled group today are the BIFFs or the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters because of in-fighting within the group due to politics.
He emphasized further that for the longest time, there were no reports of any incidents of kidnapping or ambushes in Mindanao.
He said the Muslims’ anger may have slowly subsided because they were given the opportunity to form their own system of government even in the midst of the present structure, where he said many Muslims were given important positions so that they would not think that they are neglected or brushed aside.
He said the latest example was the appointment of new Comelec chairman Saidamen Pangarungan, who is a Maranao, and the second Muslim appointed as head of the the poll body after former chair Sheriff Abas.
He even appointed Muslims in the Supreme Court and the Court of Appeals, including prosecutors and judges.
Duterte believes that he and the soldiers have already achieved peace in Mindanao.
He continued by saying that if this situation prevails, if God permits, there will be no more problems with regard to peace in Mindanao and hopefully, the entire nation.