Ex-MILF military chief elected first BARMM Chief Minister

COTABATO CITY — Member of Parliament (MP) Abdulraof “Sammy Gambar” Macacua was elected the first Chief Minister of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) on Friday during the regional legislature’s inaugural session at the Shariff Kabunsuan Cultural Center.

Macacua, who heads the Bangsamoro Federalist Party, was nominated by MP Kitem Kadatuan, and was in contention for the post with MP Ahod “Al Haj Murad” Ebrahim, who was nominated by MP Mohagher Iqbal.

After votes were counted, Macacua gained the support of 51 MPs, while Ebrahim, representing the United Bangsamoro Justice Party, gathered 27.

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READ: Bangsamoro parliament convenes with 79 members present

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Macacua was the former chief of the Bangsamoro Islamic Armed Forces, the armed wing of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), which is now being decommissioned in keeping with a 2014 peace deal with the government. 

He was a Senior Minister of the BARMM when Ebrahim was interim Chief Minister. He left the post to become acting governor of the newly created Maguindanao del Norte province. From there, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. tapped him to replace Ebrahim as interim Chief Minister in March last year.

During the vote, an MP member abstained from voting for the Chief Minister.

MP Ishak Mastura presided over the nominations and the election as temporary presiding officer.

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Macacua took his oath as Chief Minister before Sheikh Muslim Guiamaden, the Bangsamoro wali or ceremonial head, and then took over from Mastura to preside over the nominations for Parliament Speaker.

READ: BARMM’s majority coalition gains support of governors, Misuari

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For Speaker, the nominees were MP Amer Zaakaria Rakim and Mohammad Yacob.

Rakim garnered the same level of support as Macacua, and Yacob the same votes as Ebrahim.

For the inaugural session, 79 of 80 MPs were present.

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Before the election of Chief Minister and Parliament Speaker, the MPs heard a speech by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., who graced the historic inaugural session./coa