Despite Sulu's exclusion from the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), the national government has designated the province as a "priority area" for ongoing peace efforts. Jill Gallardo, director of the MNLF peace process office, stated on July 3 that Sulu remains a bastion of the MNLF struggle and that interventions continue under the 1996 final peace agreement. This agreement ensures that peace programs in Sulu are unaffected by its departure from BARMM.