MILF divided over Bangsamoro districting law

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MILF divided over Bangsamoro districting law

SESSION. Interim members of the Bangsamoro Transition Authority during a parliament session.

BTA

The measure secures the required two-thirds majority, but the opposition from senior MILF field commanders serving in the BTA shows disagreements over procedure and the allocation of seats

COTABATO CITY, Philippines – Senior figures of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), the dominant force in the Bangsamoro regional government, broke ranks as the region’s parliament voted on a districting law required for its first parliamentary elections, exposing serious disagreements within the former rebel movement.

The Bangsamoro Parliament approved past midnight Tuesday, January 13, Parliament Bill No. 415, which sets out 32 single-member districts for elections scheduled in March 2026. The bill passed with 48 votes in favor, 19 against and four abstentions, during a special session that recorded a 93.5% attendance rate.

The measure secured the required two-thirds majority, but the opposition from senior MILF field commanders serving in the Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA) showed disagreements over procedure and the allocation of seats.

Supporters of the measure said it was necessary to meet legal deadlines after the Supreme Court voided earlier redistricting laws for being unconstitutional, warning that further delays could further derail preparations for the polls.

BTA Deputy Speaker Suwaib Oranon, a commander of the MILF’s Central Mindanao Front, said the measure was needed to ensure “moral governance.”

“Responsible leadership requires deciding based on what is best for the majority, not personal interest,” Oranon said.

Concerns were cited over allegedly rushed processes, unresolved legal issues, and gerrymandering – district boundaries have long sparked disputes.

Among the BTA members who voted against it were influential MILF commanders Basit Abbas of the Northeastern Mindanao Front and Abdullah Macapaar, also known as Commander Bravo, who heads the North-Western Mindanao Front.

BTA Member Abdullah Hashim, son of MILF founder Salamat Hashim, also voted no, warning of “legislative shortcuts” and alleging that lawmakers skipped a full interpellation process.

“It is a procedural violation that renders the proceedings in jeopardy,” Hashim said.

BTA Deputy Speaker Omar Sema, son of MNLF leader and BARMM Labor Minister Muslimin Sema, said the measure undermined earlier peace agreement that included Sulu.

In 2024, the High Tribunal decided to exclude Sulu from the BARMM owing to its no vote during a plebiscite on the ratification of the Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL) years earlier. Some see the exclusion of the province – and the seven parliamentary district seats originally reserved for it – as going against the peace agreement between the government and MILF.

“I vote no not to reject the bill, but to reject the distribution of the seven district seats allotted for Sulu,” Sema said.

Education Minister Mohagher Iqbal, a senior MILF leader and its former chief negotiator in peace talks with the government, also voted against the measure. He did not elaborate but just said, “Like in Congress proceedings, no matter how long the procession, it still ends up at the church.”

Four other senior MILF figures, including MILF Eastern Mindanao Front commander Akmad “Jack” Abas, abstained.

The measure’s principal author, Naguib Sinarimbo, said it was drafted to comply with SC rulings that struck down previous redistricting laws.

“This bill was crafted to directly address the specific constitutional and legal issues identified by the Supreme Court, while ensuring that the Bangsamoro parliamentary elections can proceed within the prescribed timeline,” said Sinarimbo, who once served as BARMM interior minister under then-interim chief minister Ahod “Al Haj Murad” Ebrahim, MILF’s chairman.

If the March 2026 elections push through, it will mark the end of the BTA’s mandate and serve as a test to the region’s fragile peace process under the 2014 Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro.

Here are those who voted yes: