Featured image above shows Comelec Chairman George Erwin Garcia (left) and UBJP President and BARMM Chief Minister Al-Haj Murad Ebrahim. (Image supplied)
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MANILA, Oct. 1, 2024 (SDN) — Regional history in the Bangsamoro region was written today, Tuesday, by the Commision on Elections (Comelec) under the leadership of Chairman George Erwin Garcia.
And the lead role in this regional political history is the United Bangsamoro Justice Party (UBJP), headed by Chief Minister Ahod Balawag “Al-Murad” Ebrahim as president.
The UBJP is the political wing of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), which on September 23 has formally transformed itself into a social movement, leaving behind its revolutionary past when it fought for the independence of Mindanao.
But the MILF later in the Bangsamoro peace negotiations that lasted 17 protracted years agreed to a stronger regional autonomy through the landmark 2014 Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB) it signed with the Philippine government.
The result is a new political entity (NPE) dubbed the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).
It abolished and replaced the 20 years-long Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) through the Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL).
“WHEREFORE, premises considered, the Commission (En Banc) RESOLVES to GRANT the instant Petition. UNITED BANGSAMORO JUSTICE PARTY (“UBJP”) is hereby ACCREDITED as a Regional Parliamentary Political Party (RPPP) in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM),” the poll body said in its SPP No. 24-001 (BPP) decision promulgated October 1, 2024.
The decision pertains to the UBJP’s petition for registration and accreditation before the Comelec, as it sought to register “for the purpose of participating in the Regional Parliamentary Elections” in the Bangsamoro region in the May 2025 midterm political exercise.
Ebrahim, chief minister of BARMM, represented the UBJP in the “Petition”, resulting in the positive Comelec En Banc Resolution.
Garcia, Commissioners Socorro B. Inting, Marlo S. Casquejo, Aimee P. Perolino, Ernesto Ferdinand P. Maceda, Jr. and Nelson J. Celis signed the Resolution that gave the UBJP the distinction of being the first RPPP in the BARMM.
Earlier, Ebrahim personally submitted to the Comelec in Intramuros, Manila, the UBJP Sworn Statement in preparation for the filing of Certificates of Nominate and Accreditation (CONA) of the group’s party bearers in the whole BARMM, an important step leading to the region’s 2025 Parliamentary Elections.
Ebrahim cited the submission of the Sworn Statement as demonstrating the “UBJP’s dedication in supporting a clean and democratic political exercise.”
The UBJP president added that the party painstakingly chose it’s nominees for the polls based on their ability and experience to ensure a proper governance in the Bangsamoro region.
He expects that the programs their candidates will put in place will strengthen peace and progress in the region with the active participation of their UBJP members and supporters.
On September 23 in Camp Darapanan, Crossing Simuay, Sultan Kudarat, Maguindanao del Norte, BARMM, the MILF-UBJP conducted a Consultative Meeting and General Assembly that attracted more than 300,000 attendees from various parts of Mindanao.
If those numbers and others in the UBJP’s assemblies translate to votes in May 2025, that’s everyone’s hope. (//