Macacua Poised to Continue as BARMM Chief Minister Amidst Lawmaker Elections

Local executives across the Bangsamoro region are certain that their chief minister, Abdulraof A. Macacua, will remain as the figurehead of the 80-seat parliament via nomination during the first session of newly elected lawmakers. Mr. Macacua, president of the Bangsamoro Federalist Party (BFP), is presently functioning as parliament member and chief minister of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) based on an appointment in March by President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. The regional spokesperson of BFP, Naguib G. Sinarimbo, lawyer and appointed member of the BARMM parliament, told reporters on Thursday that their party had won 16 seats for bloc representation in the region’s lawmaking body and 16 more by their anointed bets for parliamentary districts in the autonomous region. Lanao del Sur Governor Mamintal A. Adiong, Jr., Basilan Vice-Governor Hadjiman H. Sallliman and their constituent-mayors separately told reporters via text message on Thursday that it is Mr. Macacua whom they want to lead the duly elected members of the BARMM parliament as chief minister. “We are confident he will be nominated as chief minister of the parliament by its duly-elected members,” Mr. Adiong said. Mr. Macacua was elected on Sept. 14 as representative of a parliamentary district covering parts of Cotabato City and several barangays in Maguindanao del Norte province. Their party spokesperson, Mr. Sinarimbo, was elected as representative of the parliamentary seat in the second district of Cotabato City, the regional capital of BARMM. Mr. Sinarimbo said the BFP had a total of 32 candidates elected as bloc nominees and as representatives of parliamentary districts in different areas in the autonomous region. “We shall start working as duly-elected parliament members, vested with proper electoral mandate, by the end of October,” Mr. Sinarimbo said. Mr. Adiong, now a second term Lanao del Sur governor, said six of the candidates of their regional party, the Serbisyong Inklusibo, Alyansang Progresibo, were also elected as representatives of six of the nine parliamentary districts in Lanao del Sur. Mr. Macacua only needs 41 votes from the 80 members of the parliament for him to have parliamentary imprimatur to continue functioning as chief minister. Part of the duties of a regional chief minister is to manage the operation of all ministries and support agencies of the BARMM regional government. Mr. Salliman said he and his constituent-mayors, among them Roderick H. Furigay of Lamitan City, are certain that Mr. Macacua will continue to function as BARMM chief minister based on nomination by duly elected parliament members. — John Felix M. Unson