BARMM warned of shake-up amid MILF leadership row
COTABATO CITY—Cracks within the leadership of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) finally came to light as the former rebel group held its general assembly at Camp Darapanan in Sultan Kudarat, while the chief of its armed wing and current Bangsamoro interim chief minister warned that heads would roll within his Cabinet after Ramadan.
Bangsamoro interim Chief Minister Abdulraof Macacua, who was conspicuously absent from the assembly, directed all Cabinet ministers and deputy ministers to resign if they could not align their commitment with him in running the affairs of the interim regional government.
“I call on the members of the Cabinet, ministries, offices and agencies to unite, cooperate and decisively address delays and performance gaps that this turmoil and deliberate sabotage have aggravated,” Macacua said.
“From today, let us deliver with urgency, transparency and discipline,” he added in a statement released on Monday.
Macacua heads the 40,000-strong Bangsamoro Islamic Armed Forces (BIAF), the armed wing of the MILF, even before he was appointed by President Marcos to replace MILF chair Ahod Ebrahim as interim chief minister of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), an expanded autonomous region created as an outcome of the peace deal the former Moro rebel group signed with the government in 2014.
Appointment questioned
The MILF central committee, however, questioned the President’s appointment of Macacua, claiming it violated the provisions of the peace agreement and the Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL) that created the BARMM.
Under the agreement, the MILF is entitled to choose 41 slots in the Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA), including the chief minister. The MILF endorsed Ebrahim and questioned Macacua’s appointment.
Following a petition filed before the Supreme Court on Feb. 9 questioning his appointment, Macacua also said heads would roll for BARMM officials who instigated the petition.
“Those who cannot or will not align with this standard will warrant their removal for breaching their sworn oath and duty to the people,” he added.
Macacua was also responding to social media posts accusing him of becoming a “puppet” of the national government in the BARMM.
“I have been maligned, called ‘Munafiq’ (hypocrite) and ‘Khawarij’ (deviant extremists) and accused of things that deny a lifetime of service,” Macacua said.
“The petition before the [high court] is not merely an attack on me as an individual; it challenges the dignity and trust vested in the institutions of the Bangsamoro government,” he added.
Macacua, currently the chief of staff of the BIAF, said he would initiate a formal investigation to identify the persons who filed, financed and orchestrated the petition, as well as those who benefited from this divisive act.
“Those found responsible will be held to account to the full extent of the law. We will pursue all appropriate legal remedies—administrative, civil and criminal cases will be filed,” the interim chief minister said.
Petitioners Saiden Abdulwahab and Zacaria Tuan filed the urgent petition against Macacua and BTA Speaker Mohammad Yacob.
They stated that, according to Republic Act No. 11054, or the BOL, the MILF should lead the BTA.
The petitioners also noted that while the MILF named 41 parliament members, Mr. Marcos only appointed 34, and seven others not nominated by the MILF—including Macacua—were appointed.
Aside from Macacua, the petitioners reiterated their opposition to the appointment of six BTA members who were not endorsed by the MILF.
Speaking during the general assembly, Ebrahim, the MILF central committee chair, said that the MILF, as an organization, was not opposed to Macacua’s appointment, but to the appointment process, which did not follow the stipulations of the peace agreement.
The MILF and the United Bangsamoro Justice Party, the political party of the MILF, have conducted assemblies in Basilan, Lanao del Sur, Maguindanao del Norte, Cotabato City, Maguindanao del Sur and the Special Geographic Area, and on Monday at Camp Darapanan, Sultan Kudarat, Maguindanao del Norte.
In those gatherings, participants and speakers urged the national government to honor the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro and the BOL, which mandate that the BARMM government should be MILF-led.
