Duyog Bangsamoro welcomes first regular BARMM parliament

COTABATO CITY, BARMM, Philippines — Duyog Bangsamoro, a national multisectoral coalition supporting the Bangsamoro peace process, welcomed on Sunday the assumption of the first elected parliament in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).

In a statement, the coalition of 15 civil society organizations said the convening of the first-ever elected 80-member Bangsamoro Parliament is a “long-delayed milestone” and a significant step toward genuine autonomy as envisioned by the 2014 Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB).

The first parliamentary elections were conducted last Sept. 14 after four postponements since the region’s establishment in 2019.

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It also welcomed the election of inaugural Chief Minister Abdulraof “Sammy Gambar” Macacua, who secured a 51-member majority of the Members of Parliament (MPs).

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READ: Ex-MILF military chief elected first BARMM Chief Minister

According to Duyog Bangsamoro, Macacua has consistently said the CAB must be substantively fulfilled before the Government of the Philippines (GPH) and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) sign an exit agreement.

The coalition said it expects Macacua to work with every MP, “with rightful respect for all voices and the role of the minority including any opposition bloc within,” and with all sectors of the BARMM, while safeguarding the region’s autonomy from “undue external influence.”

Macacua succeeded MILF Chair Ahod “Al Haj Murad” Ebrahim, who served as interim chief minister when the region was governed by the Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA), which was abolished with the assumption of the elected MPs into office on Oct. 30.

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Duyog Bangsamoro urged the new Parliament to protect and advance the laws passed by the BTA, including the antidynasty and gender quota provisions in the BARMM Electoral Code and Local Governance Code, the Bangsamoro Indigenous Peoples’ Act, and the Bangsamoro Transitional Justice and Reconciliation Act.

The group also called for reforms on the spread of firearms, gerrymandering, corruption and nepotism and other pressing regional issues.

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The coalition warned that major commitments under the CAB’s normalization phase remain unfulfilled on both the government and MILF sides, including the decommissioning of MILF fighters and their promised socioeconomic package.

It called for the remaining milestones to be completed within the next year as the group recommitted to working with the GPH, the MILF and the Bangsamoro Parliament toward achieving that goal.

Duyog Bangsamoro’s prominent members include former Teresita Quintos Deles, presidential peace adviser during the Aquino administration, and Miriam Coronel-Ferrer, government chief peace negotiator who signed the CAB with the MILF in 2014.

Much work ahead

Ebrahim vowed to continue advancing genuine reforms, moral governance, peace, and meaningful development for the Bangsamoro people.

He made the assurance despite failing to clinch the chief minister position during the first regular parliament’s inaugural session on Oct. 30.

Neither Ebrahim nor Mohagher Iqbal, MILF vice chair, was elected as deputy minister or earned committee chairmanships during the election of officers.

Despite that, Ebrahim vowed to continue advancing the welfare and development of the Bangsamoro region.

“There is still much work to be done, and we continue to encourage every Bangsamoro to unite, participate, and take an active role in building a more prosperous, peaceful, stable, and stronger Bangsamoro,” Ebrahim said in a statement on Saturday.

Presidential Peace Adviser Mel Senen Sarmiento praised Ebrahim for demonstrating a “spirit of statesmanship.”

“Today, as the Bangsamoro enters a new chapter with the election of its Chief Minister and Parliament Speaker, I wish to recognize MILF Chairman Al Haj Murad Ebrahim for demonstrating the spirit of statesmanship I had hoped to see, placing the greater interest of the Bangsamoro above political differences,” Sarmiento said in a Facebook post.

Sarmiento said Ebrahim’s lifelong advocacy for peace and meaningful self-governance showed that autonomy “is not merely about political power, but about empowering people, unlocking economic opportunities, and realizing the Bangsamoro’s fullest potential.”

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“Leadership is not measured by the power one holds, but by the future one helps secure for the people,” he said. —With a report from Edwin O. Fernandez