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ABSENT. BARMM interim Chief Minister Abdulraof Macacua attends the ceremonial leadership turnover in Cotabato City on Thursday, March 27, as his predecessor Ahod 'Al Haj Murad' Ebrahim remains absent.
courtesy of the BARMM government.
Ex-BARMM interim chief minister Al Haj Murad Ebrahim's absence is widely seen as an indication of a lingering disappointment, though the message he sent suggests he had come to terms with the transition
COTABATO CITY, Philippines – Former Bangsamoro interim chief minister Ahod “Al Haj Murad” Ebrahim skipped the ceremonial transfer of power to his successor, Abdulraof Macacua, on Thursday, March 27, but sent a message of support to the man who served as his longtime subordinate.
Ebrahim’s absence at the event in Cotabato City, officiated by Bangsamoro Wali Abdulraof Guialani, came amid a leadership shakeup in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM). His no-show was widely seen as an indication of a lingering disappointment, though the message he sent suggested he had come to terms with the transition.
BARMM Senior Minister Abunawas “Von Alhaq” Maslamama represented Ebrahim at the event and read his statement, in which Ebrahim cited “urgent matters of personal importance” as the reason for his absence. He affirmed the leadership transfer and stressed his commitment to a “just, peaceful, and self-reliant Bangsamoro.”
NO SHOW. Without his predecessor Ahod ‘Al Haj Murad’ Ebrahim, BARMM interim Chief Minister Abdulraof Macacua takes his oath again during the ceremonial transfer of power in Cotabato City on Thursday, March 27. courtesy of the BARMM government.Ebrahim, who chairs the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), earlier turned down his appointment by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to a seat in the Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA) parliament. He said he had opted to focus on the MILF and its political party, the United Bangsamoro Justice Party (UBJP), which is seeking to win a majority of the seats in the BARMM parliament.
Murad is the UBJP’s first nominee to a seat in the regional parliament, while Macacua has filed his certificate of candidacy for a parliamentary district seat in Maguindanao del Norte, where he briefly served as an appointed governor before assuming BARMM’s top post.
The first BARMM parliamentary election was moved by the Marcos Jr. administration from May to October.
Macacua, who remains head of the MILF’s armed wing, the Bangsamoro Islamic Armed Forces (BIAF), pledged to build on Ebrahim’s legacy. He called for unity, patience, and prayers as he leads the region until BARMM elects its officials later this year.
The turnover coincided with the 11th anniversary of the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB), the 2014 peace deal that led to BARMM’s creation five years later.
The interim BTA, which has governed the predominantly Muslim region since 2019, faces the challenge of ensuring a smooth transition to full self-governance under the Bangsamoro Organic Law. – Rappler.com
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