In the hills and towns of Maguindanao del Norte, a region born from decades of armed struggle and a hard-won peace, the Bangsamoro people are preparing to choose their first elected parliamentary representatives in September 2026. At the center of this moment stands Abdulraof Macacua — former commander of the MILF's armed wing, now interim chief minister — whose bid for a single parliamentary seat in the 3rd district carries the weight of an entire region's political future. Should he win, he becomes eligible to be chosen as BARMM's first elected chief minister, a threshold that would mark the
BARMM Chief Minister's District Race Could Reshape Bangsamoro Region
A victory would secure him the region's top elected office
Mark
Why does Macacua's race matter more than the others? He's running in one district out of five.
Mimi
Because if he wins his seat, the BARMM parliament will almost certainly elect him as the first chosen chief minister. Right now he's interim—appointed. A parliamentary victory gives him a mandate and legitimacy.
Luke
But that's an assumption, isn't it? The parliament could theoretically choose someone else even if he wins his district.
Mimi
True, but politically it would be nearly impossible. He's the sitting chief minister, he has MILF backing, and winning his home district would show he has voter support.
Mark
What's the broader contest here? Is this about the MILF staying in power?
Mimi
Partly. The MILF created BARMM through the peace agreement. But now there's the Bangsamoro Federalist Party, which is challenging them in multiple districts. If the federalists gain seats, they could influence the region's direction.
Luke
Who funds the BFP? Where did it come from?
Mimi
It was founded by Member of Parliament Tomanda Antok. Macacua actually took over as BFP president in August, even though he's running as an independent.
Mark
That's confusing. How can he be party president and run as an independent?
Mimi
Technically he filed as independent, but he controls the party machinery. It's a way to maintain flexibility—he's not formally tied to the MILF's party, but he's not fully separate either.
Luke
Do we know if voters in his district actually support him, or is this all elite maneuvering?
Mimi
We don't have polling data. The only concrete thing is that one challenger, Asnawe Bagundang Baraguir, withdrew in May. That could suggest Macacua had momentum, or it could mean something else entirely.
Mark
What happens if he loses?
Mimi
Then someone else becomes the first elected chief minister. The region's governance could shift—different priorities, different alliances. It's genuinely consequential.
Le Pouls
- Macacua's candidacy is not merely a local race — it is the hinge on which BARMM's first elected leadership will swing, making a single district vote a matter of regional consequence.
- The MILF's political wing faces real competition from the Bangsamoro Federalist Party across multiple districts, signaling that the autonomous region's internal politics are no longer a foregone conclusion.
- Powerful old clans — the Sinsuats and Mangudadatus — remain unsettled by Macacua's rise, and their quiet resistance adds an undercurrent of tension to what is already a high-stakes election.
- While some races are effectively decided — two seats will go to unopposed incumbents — the contested districts reveal a fragmented political landscape where MILF candidates, federalists, and independents are all fighting for a foothold.
- With 419,518 registered voters across 223 barangays, the province holds enough democratic weight to either consolidate the MILF's vision for Bangsamoro self-governance or begin diluting it from within.
In the hills and towns of Maguindanao del Norte, a region born from decades of armed struggle and a hard-won peace, the Bangsamoro people are preparing to choose their first elected parliamentary representatives in September 2026. At the center of this moment stands Abdulraof Macacua — former commander of the MILF's armed wing, now interim chief minister — whose bid for a single parliamentary seat in the 3rd district carries the weight of an entire region's political future. Should he win, he becomes eligible to be chosen as BARMM's first elected chief minister, a threshold that would mark the autonomous region's passage from transitional governance to something more permanent. The outcome will reveal whether the peace process that created BARMM continues under MILF stewardship, or whether new political forces begin to reshape what that peace means in practice.
Abdulraof Macacua, the interim chief minister of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, is seeking a parliamentary seat in Maguindanao del Norte's 3rd district in September 2026. The race carries unusual significance: a victory would make him eligible to be selected as BARMM's first elected chief minister, potentially cementing the direction of a region that has existed in transitional form since 2019.
Macacua's rise has followed the arc of the MILF itself — from armed resistance to political institution. He commanded the MILF's military wing during the struggle that produced the 2014 peace agreement and eventually BARMM's creation. He later served under founding interim chief minister Ahod Ebrahim before succeeding him. His appointment as acting governor of Maguindanao del Norte in 2023 unsettled the Sinsuat and Mangudadatu clans, the province's historically dominant families, and tensions within the MILF have simmered since his ascent to the top post.
In the 3rd district, Macacua runs as an independent against Badrudin Mamad, though he now leads the Bangsamoro Federalist Party after assuming its presidency in August. The district spans Northern Kabuntalan, Kabuntalan, Talitay, and scattered barangays in Cotabato City and Sultan Kudarat town.
Across Maguindanao del Norte's five parliamentary districts, 419,518 registered voters will weigh in on a range of contests. The 1st district features a competitive matchup between a former BIAF commander running for the MILF's United Bangsamoro Justice Party and a federalist challenger with deep local roots. The 2nd and 5th districts will see incumbents run unopposed. The 4th district is the most crowded, with a former vice governor carrying the MILF banner against candidates from multiple parties, including a former congresswoman whose husband leads a rival Bangsamoro party.
The broader pattern is a contest between the MILF's political wing and a coalition of federalist and other forces seeking influence in the region's parliament. Macacua's 3rd district race remains the pivot: his win likely secures him the chief minister's office when parliament convenes; his loss opens the door to a leadership — and a governance vision — that the peace process did not originally envision.
Abdulraof Macacua, the interim chief minister of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, is running for a parliamentary seat in Maguindanao del Norte's 3rd district in September 2026. The stakes are unusually high: if he wins, he becomes eligible for selection as the region's first elected chief minister—a position that could reshape the seven-year-old autonomous region's political direction.
Macacua's path to power has been marked by military and political ascent within the Moro Islamic Liberation Front. He led the BIAF, the MILF's armed wing, during the organization's decades-long struggle that culminated in a 2014 peace agreement and the creation of BARMM in 2019. After that, he served as a senior minister under Ahod Ebrahim, the MILF chairman who became interim chief minister. In 2023, Macacua was appointed acting governor of Maguindanao del Norte—a move that unsettled the Sinsuat and Mangudadatu clans, the dominant political families in the old Maguindanao province before it was divided into two. When he succeeded Ebrahim as interim chief minister, tensions within the MILF surfaced again.
The 3rd district race pits Macacua, running as an independent candidate, against Badrudin Mamad, also an independent from Northern Kabuntalan. The district itself is a patchwork: it includes the towns of Northern Kabuntalan, Kabuntalan, and Talitay, plus scattered barangays in Cotabato City and Sultan Kudarat town. Though Macacua filed his candidacy as an independent, he currently leads the Bangsamoro Federalist Party after taking over as party president in August. An earlier challenger, Asnawe Bagundang Baraguir, withdrew from the race in May.
Maguindanao del Norte as a whole is voting across five parliamentary districts, with 419,518 registered voters spread across 223 barangays. The province received five seats under Bangsamoro Autonomy Act No. 86, which finalized the region's 32 parliamentary districts. In the 1st district—covering Matanog, Barira, and Buldon—former BIAF commander Abdulkudos Pendatu Balitok, running for the MILF's United Bangsamoro Justice Party, faces Prince Khalid Tomawis of the Bangsamoro Federalist Party. Tomawis is the son of two former mayors, Alexander Tomawis of Barira and Fatima Ruth Tomawis of Buldon.
The 2nd district, which consists only of Parang, will see Member of Parliament Ibrahim Pendat Ibay run unopposed on the Bangsamoro Federalist Party ticket. Ibay, a former Parang mayor and former deputy interior minister, faces no challenger. The 4th district, covering Datu Odin Sinsuat, Datu Blah T. Sinsuat, and Upi, is more crowded. Former Maguindanao del Norte vice governor Abdulnasser Maliga Abas is the MILF's candidate. Alexander Petalcorin Agustin, a former Upi municipal councilor, runs for the Bangsamoro Empowerment and Social Transformation Party. Bai Sandra Ampatuan Sema, a former Maguindanao representative and wife of the incumbent BARMM labor minister Muslimin Sema, runs for the Bangsamoro Party, which her husband leads. Independent candidate Jashriya Sema Dilangalen also entered the race.
The 5th district, encompassing Sultan Kudarat and Sultan Mastura, will see Member of Parliament Ishak Veloso Mastura run unopposed for the Bangsamoro Federalist Party. Across these five races, the pattern is clear: the MILF's political wing, the United Bangsamoro Justice Party, is competing against the Bangsamoro Federalist Party and other challengers for control of the region's parliamentary representation. Macacua's race in the 3rd district is the pivot point. His victory would likely secure him the chief minister's office when parliament votes; his defeat would open the door to a different leadership and a potentially different direction for BARMM's governance.
Citations marquantes
Macacua filed his candidacy as an independent candidate, though he currently leads the Bangsamoro Federalist Party after taking over as party president in August— Electoral records and party leadership
Envie de l'histoire complète ?
Lire l'original sur Rappler ↗
Politics & Governance