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OATH. Newly appointed members of the Bangsamoro Transition Authority led by new BARMM interim Chief Minister Abdulraof Macacua take their oath of office on Saturday, March 15, 2025.
BARMM
The MILF central committee issues a statement a day after newly appointed members of the Bangsamoro parliament take their oath
COTABATO CITY, Philippines – The central committee of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) on Sunday, March 16, expressed dismay over the recent leadership changes in the interim government of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM),
In a statement signed by MILF central committee secretary Muhammad Ameen, the group said it was concerned about the replacement of the interim chief minister, Ahod Balawag “Al Haj Murad” Ebrahim, by Maguindanao del Norte Governor Abdulraof Macacua.
Malacañang named Macacua, who headed the MILF’s Bangsamoro Islamic Armed Forces (BIAF), as the six-year-old BARMM’s second interim chief minister early this month, shortly after the government moved the region’s first parliamentary elections from May to October.
The MILF central committee’s statement came a day after newly appointed members of the Bangsamoro parliament took their oath, with Presidential adviser on peace and reconciliation Carlito Galvez Jr. and Bangsamoro Transition Authority Parliament Speaker Pangalian Balindong among those in attendance.
The MILF central committee issued the statement following a consultative assembly on Sunday at Camp Darapanan in Sultan Kudarat, Maguindanao del Norte, where attendees raised concerns over government appointments to the Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA), officials said. The gathering drew around 500 MILF officials and members.
Those who came declared their loyalty to Ebrahim as MILF chairman and BIAF commander-in-chief. Ebrahim, the chairman of the MILF central committee, attended the consultative assembly, but Macacua was not present.
The committee criticized the government’s appointment of a new interim chief minister without considering its repeated resolutions calling for Ebrahim’s retention. While acknowledging President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s authority, MILF officials said the government should take their position into account.
The MILF said the national government did not fully adhere to its submitted list of 41 nominees, appointing only 35. It called the move an interference in its internal affairs and a violation of the autonomy guaranteed under the Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL).
The group argued the changes contravened Section 2, Article XVI of the BOL, which mandates MILF leadership of the BTA, as well as provisions in the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB) requiring the transition body to be MILF-led.
The group, however, called for unity, urging members to reject efforts to sow division while reaffirming its commitment to the peace process. – Rappler.com
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