MARCH 27 was the 10th anniversary of the signing of the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB), the peace accord signed by the government with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF). It took 17 years of negotiations before the pact was signed and another five years before the formal installation of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).

The BARMM replaced the old Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM). Under the new agreement, the BARMM's geographical jurisdiction was expanded with the addition of Cotabato City and 39 barangay (villages) in North Cotabato.