Maguindanao del Norte: Key battleground for BARMM leadership race

CEBU, Philippines – The election results in Maguindanao del Norte could determine the fate of Abdulraof “Sammy Gambar” Macacua, the interim chief minister of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), as he is running in the province’s 3rd parliamentary district. Macacua’s victory in this district is crucial, as it could pave the way for him to become the first elected chief minister of the seven-year-old region. Before his current leadership role, Macacua served as the officer-in-charge or acting governor of Maguindanao del Norte. He was also a senior minister in the BARMM under former interim chief minister Ahod “Al Haj Murad” Ebrahim, chairman of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF). Macacua’s past leadership of the MILF’s armed wing, the Bangsamoro Islamic Armed Forces (BIAF), during the height of the Front’s struggle, was instrumental in the 2014 peace agreement and the subsequent creation of the BARMM in 2019. His appointment as acting governor in 2023 had stirred controversy among the established Sinsuat and Mangudadatu clans of the old Maguindanao province, which was later split into two. Tensions also arose within the MILF following his succession to Murad’s position. The province of Maguindanao del Norte has a total of 223 barangays and 419,518 registered voters, according to the Commission on Elections’ database as of May 8. The Bangsamoro Autonomy Act No. 86 established 32 parliamentary districts for the region, with Maguindanao del Norte allocated five seats. Here are the electoral races happening in Maguindanao del Norte’s five parliamentary districts: 1st District: Ex-commander and Tomawis son The first parliamentary district consists of the towns of Matanog, Barira, and Buldon. Abdulkudos Pendatu Balitok, a former base commander of the BIAF-MILF and ex-deputy minister for public order and safety, is running for the district’s parliamentary seat. Balitok is the bet of the United Bangsamoro Justice Party (UBJP), the MILF’s political party. The former BIAF-MILF commander is up against Prince Khalid Tomawis of the Bangsamoro Federalist Party (BFP), the party founded by Member of Parliament Tomanda Antok. Tomawis is the son of the late former Barira mayor Alexander Tomawis and former Buldon mayor Fatima Ruth Tomawis. 2nd District: Unopposed The second district covers the municipality of Parang. Member of Parliament Ibrahim Pendat Ibay, the bet of BFP, is running unopposed in his home turf. Ibay is a former mayor of Parang and a former deputy interior minister of the BARMM. 3rd District: Macacua challenger The third district comprises the towns of Northern Kabuntalan, Kabuntalan, and Talitay. It also includes the barangays of Poblacion I and Poblacion VII in Cotabato City, and the barangays of Katamlangan, Nalinan, Kabuntalan, Kapimpilan, and Bulibod in Sultan Kudarat town. Macacua is joining the electoral race here. In a MindaNews article dated May 7, 2026, Macacua, through his son Jamael Macacua, filed his certificate of candidacy as an independent candidate. While he is classified as an independent candidate, Macacua currently leads the BFP after taking over Antok’s role as party president in August. Initially, independent candidate Asnawe Bagundang Baraguir was set to join the district’s parliamentary race but he eventually withdrew his candidacy in May, according to Brigada News FM Cotabato City. Macacua will be going up against Badrudin Mamad, another independent candidate from Barangay Libungan, Northern Kabuntalan. 4th District: Former officials and independent bet The fourth district includes the towns of Datu Odin Sinsuat, Datu Blah T. Sinsuat, and Upi. Former Maguindanao del Norte vice governor Abdulnasser Maliga Abas is running for the fourth district parliamentary seat. He is the bet of the UBJP. Former Upi municipal councilor Alexander Petalcorin Agustin is running under the Bangsamoro Empowerment and Social Transformation Party (BEST Party) led by Al-Rashid Balt, the director general of the Bangsamoro Ministry of Public Order and Safety. Former Maguindanao 1st district representative Bai Sandra Ampatuan Sema, the wife of incumbent BARMM minister of labor and employment Muslimin Sema, is also in the race as the bet of the Bangsamoro Party (BAPA). Muslimin is the head of BAPA. Also in the race is independent candidate Jashriya Sema Dilangalen. 5th District: Another unopposed bet In the fifth district, which covers Sultan Kudarat and Sultan Mastura, BFP bet and Member of Parliament Ishak Veloso Mastura is running unopposed. Mastura is a deputy speaker of the Bangsamoro parliament and the son of Michael Ong Mastura, a former representative of the first district of the old Maguindanao and Cotabato City. – Rappler.com