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(SDN) — Political parties in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) have started moving, readying for the region’s inaugural parliamentary elections in May 2025.
While there is still a pending petition in the Supreme Court filed by 15 Bangsamoro leaders to invalidate specific provisions of the Bangsamoro Electoral Code (BEC), nevertheless, political parties in the region are now active as they look forward to the regional political exercise.
According to MindaNews, there are eight regional political parties, such as the United Bangsamoro Justice Party (UBJP;, Bangsamoro Political Party (BPP); Bangsamoro Party (BaPA); Rayyat Development Party (RDP); Al-Ittihad Mindanawe Darussalam-Ungaya Ku Kawagibu Bangsamoro; Serbisyong Inklusibo-Alyansang Progressibo; Mahardika; and Indigenous Peoples Democratic Party (IPDP).
UBJP, the political platform of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), has BARMM Chief Minister and MILF chairman Ahod Balawag “Al-Haj Murad” Ebrahim as president; Minister of Parliament (MP) Amir Mawallil heads BPP; BaPa is affiliated with the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) faction of BARMM Labor Minister Muslimin G. Sema; lawyer Jose “Joe” Lorena is at the forefront of RDP; Dr. Suharto “Datu Teng” T. Mangudadatu, secretary of the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA), leads Al-Ittihad; SIAP is under the leadership of Lanao del Sur Gov. Mamintal A. Adiong, Jr.; Mahardika is of the MNLF faction led by Founding Chairman Prof. Nur P. Misuari; and MP Froilan Mendoza chairs the IPDP.
The Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA) through its Government of the Day is being governed by the MILF through UBJP.
On May 2, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) chaired by lawyer George Erwin M. Garcia issued En banc Resolution No. 10987, specifying important dates for the forthcoming first parliamentary elections in the region.
The Bangsamoro region, established in 2018 by the Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL) to implement the 2014 Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB), is made up of the provinces of Basilan, Lanao del Sur, Maguindanao del Sur, Maguindanao del Norte, Sulu, and Tawi-Tawi, the cities of Cotabato, Lamitan, and Marawi, as well as the Special Geographic Area’s (SGA) 63 barangays or villages that voted “Yes” in a plebiscite in February 2019 to be under the BARMM jurisdiction. With the recent plebiscite at SGA, the BARMM now has eight new municipalities as residents voted “Yes”.
According to the Philippine Atlas BARMM has 4,404,288 people (exclusive of SGA). It has 116 municipalities (plus eight newly established under the SGA: Basilan, 11 municipalities; Lanao del Sur, 39; undivided Maguindanao, 36; Sulu, 19; and Tawi-Tawi, 11. Its component cities are Cotabato (the regional center and capital) in Maguindanao; Lamitan in Basilan; and Marawi in Lanao del Sur.
The dates as the En Banc resolution goes,
“NOW THEREFORE, after due deliberation, the Commission En
Banc, by virtue of the powers vested in it by the Constitution, the
Omnibus Election Code, the Administrative Code of 1987 and other
relevant statutes, hereby RESOLVES, to SET the activities related to the first parliamentary elections in the BARMM as indicated below:”
- May 15, 2024 (Wednesday) to June 7, 2024 (Friday) — Period to file Petition for Registration or Accreditation of Regional Parliamentary Political Parties. Period to file Petition for Registration or Accreditation Regional Parliament Sectoral Organizations.
- August 15, 2024 (Thursday) — Last day to submit Sworn Information Update System (SIUS) by registered political parties or coalition of political parties to the Political Finance and Affairs Department (PFAD). Last day to file Petition for Registration or Accreditation of a Coalition in BARMM.
- August 30, 2024 (Friday) — Last Day to file Manifestation of Intent to Participate in the Parliamentary Election of Party Representatives.
In report for MindaNews by Mindanao-based reporter Ferdinandh Cabrera, it was learned the eight political parties participated in a forum on the Bangsamoro parliamentary polls in Davao City on March 18 this year aimed at “(harmonizing) a democratic, transparent, and accountable” regional elections.
In a related development, three of the BARMM political parties have formed an alliance they forged during their meeting in Makati City on April 24, per report of Inquirer.net on April 26, 2024.
The triumvirate are the Al-Ittihad, BPP-UKB, and SIAP, bringing together in what could be a formidable alliance aimed at toppling the interim leadership of the MILF, which governs the BARMM transition phase now running on its sixth year by the time the next year’s national elections come.
Al=Ittihad-UKB head Secretary Mangudadatu cited the importance peace and unity among diverse communities.
“As representatives of diverse communities within BARMM, we recognize the importance of solidarity for peace and unity in a region marked by cultural and ethnic diversity,” he emphasized. (✓)