COTABATO CITY, Philippines – Sixty-eight out of the expected 80 new members of the Bangsamoro parliament took their oath before new Bangsamoro interim chief Abdulraof “Sammy Gambar” Macacua in Cotabato City on Saturday, March 15.
Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace and Reconciliation Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr. and Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA) Parliament Speaker Pangalian Balindong also attended the ceremony.
In his message, Macacua acknowledged the dedication displayed by his predecessor, Ahod Balawag Ebrahim: “Foremost, let us take this opportunity to express our profound gratitude to Chief Minister Ahod ‘Kagi Murad’ Balawag Ebrahim. His visionary leadership and tireless dedication have guided us through a challenging transitional period.”
Macacua also challenged the new members of the council.
“Your role is crucial. We must uphold the principles of moral governance and serve with integrity, fairness, and dedication, which was started by my predecessor Chief Minister Ahod ‘Kagi Murad’ Balawag Ebrahim,” the interim chief said.
Currently, the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) is still a Moro Islamic Liberation Front-led interim government. Macacua is the chief-of-staff of the Bangsamoro Islamic Armed Forces, MILF’s military wing.
Other names of the appointed members of the parliament have yet to be released as of this writing.
Status quo
“This responsibility is not just a political role — it is a sacred Amanah entrusted to us by our people and, above all, by Allah (Subhanahu Wa ta’ala),” the new chief said.
“Our ministries have been tasked with significant responsibilities that reflect the hopes and dreams of our people. By retaining the current structure, we lay a solid foundation to build upon, ensuring continuity in our governance,” he added.
Although they retained BARMM’s current structure, Macacua defended the retention and said it was not complacency and that it would be subjected to review.
“As we proceed, a thorough review of the performance of our ministries will be undertaken. It is essential for us to evaluate what has been accomplished, assess the effectiveness of our strategies, and, where necessary, recalibrate our approaches,” Macacua pointed out.
Meanwhile, the current BTA aims to prioritize the immediate enactment of all priority codes, such as the Bangsamoro Revenue Code, and carefully study the issue of the parliamentary seats of the Province of Sulu.
Sulu, which was supposed to have eight district representations, was excluded from BARMM after the Supreme Court issued a decision excluding the province from the region. – Rappler.com