A Sacred Calling: The Historic Parliamentary Candidacy of an Evangelical Pastor in the Bangsamoro

The quest for sustainable peace in Mindanao has reached a pivotal point as the region moves toward full parliamentary governance.

Entering this political sphere ahead of the historic first parliamentary elections in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) on Sept. 14 is a dedicated peace advocate stepping forward as the first Evangelical Pastor to run for the Bangsamoro Parliament.

Running under the platform of the Christians4Peace (C4P) Sectoral Political Party, this historic candidacy represents a major milestone for interfaith representation, religious freedom, and minority protection within the region.

For Pastor Percival Lagman, seeking a legislative seat is not driven by personal ambition, but by a profound conviction that leadership is a sacred calling to serve all people with love, integrity, accountability, and compassion.

Drawing from years of dedicated grassroots peace advocacy and service on local Peace and Security Councils, the candidate offers a platform anchored in transparent, God-centered governance that safeguards equal rights for every citizen regardless of faith, culture, or tradition.

Central to this vision is giving Settler Communities a strong, effective voice while demonstrating God’s love in active partnership with Moro and Indigenous Peoples brothers and sisters. The candidate’s priority is to champion enabling legislation that fosters economic growth, expands educational opportunities, improves healthcare and social services, and enhances disaster preparedness, ensuring every family in the region can live in safety and hope.

The candidacy is powered by the core advocacy of the Christians For Peace Party, which centers on active peacebuilding, religious freedom, and democratic inclusion. Rather than promoting political isolation, the party emphasizes inclusive participation to ensure that Christian settlers and minority groups have an active seat at the policy table alongside the Moro majority and Indigenous Peoples.

The party’s platform focuses on securing equal protection under regional law against religious discrimination, institutionalizing grassroots peace agreements into formal security frameworks, and cultivating enduring tri-people harmony where diverse faiths unite around common community goals.

This parliamentary pursuit carries profound implications for Christian-Muslim relations and the mitigation of religious persecution across the region. Historically, relations between Christian settlers and Muslim populations in Mindanao have been tested by cycles of mistrust and displacement.

By putting forward an Evangelical Pastor under an explicit peace platform, the dynamic shifts from quiet coexistence to active, equal partnership — proving that living out Christian principles means serving the collective welfare of all neighbors. Furthermore, advocating for firm statutory guarantees for religious freedom directly addresses deeply rooted fears of marginalization among minority populations.

Approaching governance as a moral trust under God establishes a shared ethical framework between Christian and Islamic traditions, dispelling fears of dominance and fostering a transformed Bangsamoro where future generations thrive together in peace and mutual respect.

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