MILF wants BARMM polls in 2025

COTABATO CITY, BARMM, Philippines — Amid the increasingly polarizing debate on whether to forgo or push through with the first parliamentary elections in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), the leadership of erstwhile rebel group Moro Islamic Liberation (MILF) wants the elections to proceed next year.

The MILF central committee came up with the decision after its political arm, the United Bangsamoro Justice Party (UBJP), had filed its manifestation of intent to participate in the regional elections, along with seven other regional political parties.

UBJP, which has now morphed into a social movement, is in alliance with the Bangsamoro Party (BaPa) led by Bangsamoro Labor Minister Muslimin Sema, leader of the largest faction of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF).

READ: Comelec: No stopping BARMM polls unless postponed by Congress

In a resolution firmed up on Saturday, the MILF, which currently holds the reins of the regional government, noted the various occasions during which President Marcos expressed his expectations of the historic political exercise finally taking place in May next year, alongside the national and local elections.

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“The MILF central committee hereby earnestly appeal for the 2025 parliamentary elections in the BARMM to proceed as scheduled, consistent with the call of His Excellency, President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. in numerous speeches referring to the elections in the region,” its resolution said.

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Resetting bids

The BARMM Parliament elections were originally set in 2022 but Congress had it postponed to 2025 to give the interim regional government enough time to complete key political transition measures, including the establishment of an electoral system consistent with a parliamentary form of government as provided for in the Bangsamoro Organic Law.

Today, there are pending proposals before the Senate and House of Representatives to reset the polls to May 12, 2026, from May 12, 2025, mainly due to the implications of a Supreme Court decision that severed Sulu from the BARMM’s jurisdiction.

The Supreme Court ruling leaves vacant seven parliamentary district seats intended for Sulu, and if these are not reapportioned by the interim regional legislature, there will only be 73 duly elected members of the supposedly 80-seat parliament who will assume office on June 30 next year.

Leadership

The MILF central committee did not specifically address the leaders of Congress in its resolution although it decreed that copies of the document be sent to the Senate President and the House Speaker, among others.

It added that if Congress decides on postponing the regional polls, the MILF must continue to lead the transition government, per the letter and spirit of the 2014 peace deal.

The MILF leadership also asked that the current 80 members of the Bangsamoro Transition Authority be retained on a holdover capacity to minimize disruption in the flow of governance.

Aspirants

As the filing for regional candidacies closed on Saturday, the Commission on Elections, through the Bangsamoro Electoral Office, gathered 109 aspirants for parliamentary district seats, with Lanao del Sur having the highest number at 41; followed by Maguindanao del Norte with 24, Maguindanao del Sur with 15, Tawi-Tawi with 10, Basilan with 14, and five from the BARMM Special Geographic Area (SGA).

Among the candidates were Maguindanao del Norte Acting Gov. Abdulraof Macacua and Member of Parliament Mohammad Kellie Antaw, who both filed their certificates of candidacy (COC) before the deadline on Saturday.

Macacua, the secretary general and official candidate of UBJP, is seeking a seat in the third parliamentary district of Maguindanao del Norte.

Known as “Sammy Gambar” during the armed struggle waged by MILF against the government, Macacua, the chief of the Bangsamoro Islamic Armed Forces (BIAF), the MILF’s military arm, is reportedly being groomed by UBJP to succeed MILF chief and BARMM interim chief Minister Ahod Ebrahim.

Mohagher Iqbal, one of the three senior MILF leaders, earlier said he backed off from aspiring for BARMM’s top post to allow younger leaders like Macacua to succeed Ebrahim.

Antaw seeks to represent the SGA, which is composed of 63 villages formerly from Cotabato province that opted to join BARMM, which have now been grouped into eight towns.

Aside from UBJP, the other regional parties that are seeking to participate in the Bangsamoro balloting were Moro Ako, Progresibong Bangsamoro, BaPa, Mahardika, BARMM Grand Coalition, Raayat and 1-ASC.

Mahardika is the party of MNLF founding chairperson Nur Misuari and his son, Ustadz Adib Tan Misuari, as party president. The BARMM Grand Coalition is headed by Rubbil Mangudadatu, son of Maguindanao del Sur Gov. Bai Mariam Mangudadatu.