3 parties join forces to challenge BARMM leadership in 2025 polls

MARAWI, Philippines – Three major political parties of provincial governors have joined forces as they prepare to challenge the current Bangsamoro leadership in next year’s elections.

The coalition’s leaders said they would field candidates for seats in the parliament of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) in the region’s first parliamentary elections in 2025.

Lanao del Sur Vice Governor Mohammad Khalid Raki-in Adiong, president of the Serbisyong Inklusibo-Alyansang Progresibo Party (SIAP), said they have coalesced with two other regional parties – Al-Ittihad-UKB party and Bangsamoro People’s Party – and would field candidates for the seats in the Bangsamoro parliament.

The coalition is headed for a direct collision with the United Bangsamoro Justice Party (UBJP) of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).

“The coalition will come up with a list of nominees for the BARMM parliament in 2025,” Adiong told reporters during the general assembly of SIAP in Marawi City on Sunday, April 28.

The legislative landscape of the BARMM adheres to strict guidelines, stipulating a minimum of 80 members in its legislature led by a Speaker.

Based on the rules, 40% of parliamentary seats are reserved for the region’s political parties. Under this setup, 32 more are reserved for parliamentary districts and eight others for sectoral representation. The BARMM’s 32 parliamentary districts are distinct from congressional districts.

Adiong said the coalition party candidates will run for all of the available seats, and if they win the majority, they would choose the first elected BARMM chief minister.

The current chief minister, Ahod “Al Haj Murad” Ebrahim, and members of the governing Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA) are presidential appointees.

In a show of force, Sulu Governor Sakur Tan, leader of the Salam Party; Basilan Representative Mujiv Hataman, chair of the Bangsamoro Peoples Party, and Maguindanao del Sur Governor Mariam Magundadatu, leader of the Al-Ittihad-UKB party, attended SIAP’s general assembly at the 3,700-seat Sarimanok Sports Stadium beside Lake Lanao in Marawi City, which was filled to the rafters by Lanao del Sur supporters.

Adiong clarified that governors of the provinces under BARMM have yet to decide whether to run for the region’s parliament in the 2025 elections.

He said he and his father, Lanao del Sur Governor Mamintal Adiong, still have one more term and are more inclined to serve in their province.

Marawi Mayor Majul Gandamra told reporters he would likely seek reelection in the 2025 elections.

Former BARMM interior and local government minister Naguib Sinarimbo, who has joined SIAP, said the candidates from the coalition will have a better grasp of the problems than the present leadership in the region.

He said many of BARMM’s officials belong to the MILF, the dominant group in the interim transition body running the regional government.

“It has become a perennial problem to connect the aspirations of the local governments on the ground with that of the BARMM regional government, which is manned by former rebels. As a result, the delivery of key services was affected,” Sinarimbo said.

He said the coalition would field candidates who have direct linkages with local governments and who understand the local dynamics in governance. –Rappler.com