Macacua assumes BARMM leadership as MILF factions split over appointments

This is AI generated summarization, which may have errors. For context, always refer to the full article.

Abdulraof Macacua takes the helm as BARMM's interim chief minister amid internal MILF disputes over presidential appointments, pledging to ensure clean elections ahead of the region's first parliamentary vote.

COTABATO CITY, Philippines – Abdulraof Macacua, the leader of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front’s armed wing, formally assumed office on Thursday, March 20, as the second interim chief minister of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).

Macacua, who fought under the nom de guerre “Sammy Gambar” during the MILF’s decades-long insurgency, replaced Ahod Balawag “Al Haj Murad” Ebrahim, who led the interim government for six years.

Ebrahim was absent from the ceremony, as was Mohagher Iqbal, chairman of the MILF’s peace agreement implementing panel. Iqbal was with a group of reporters earlier in the day and confirmed internal disagreements within the MILF over President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s recent appointments in the BARMM.

“Some sectors in the MILF have a problem with the appointment process,” Iqbal said. “I don’t know how this could be rectified. We’re still talking about it.”

At least six of Marcos’ appointees were not among the MILF’s nominees.

Macacua took office at the regional government center in Cotabato City, with many members of the Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA) and the region’s wali, Sheikh Muslim Guiamaden, attending. Hundreds of local government officials and well-wishers were also present.

He will serve as interim chief until the BARMM elects its first parliament later this year.

Macacua pledged to ensure clean and fair elections, saying: “It is the only way to legitimize [officials’] moral authority to govern.”

The region was originally scheduled to hold its first parliamentary election in May, simultaneously with the national and local polls, but Marcos postponed it to October.

Presidential peace adviser Carlito Galvez Jr. said Ebrahim submitted his resignation letter days before Marcos appointed Macacua as his successor.

Macacua previously served as BARMM’s senior minister before becoming acting governor of Maguindanao del Norte in 2023. It remains unclear exactly who will replace him in that role, Iqbal said.
Colonel Rey Rico, assistant chief for civil-military operations of the Army’s 65th Infantry Division, said the military views Macacua as a unifying figure capable of bridging divides among the region’s rival political groups. – Rappler.com