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MANILA, June 24, 2025 (SDN) — A potential change or reshuffle may take place among officials serving in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).
This developed as Bangsamoro interim Chief Minister Abdulraof A. Macacua has issued on June 23 a Memorandum Circular (MC) asking the regional ministers, deputy ministers and heads of offices and agencies of the autonomous government to submit their “courtesy resignation” no later than June 30.
Macacua’s MC also comes as the Commission on Elections (Comelec) is presently in preparation mode for the BARMM’s first regular regional polls and first parliamentary elections on October 13.
He also made clear that the concerned officials’ resignation should be “unqualified” even as emphasizing that those who will not comply “shall be deemed resigned”.
The top Bangsamoro executive cited some of the reasons why he made the order.
“In light of the serious and grave complaints brought before the herein undersigned and to improve efficiency and effectiveness of service delivery in this crucial phase of the end of the transition period in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region, all appointed or designated Ministers, Deputy Ministers and Heads of offices and agencies are hereby directed to tender their unqualified courtesy resignations to the undersigned not later than the last business hours of Muharram 4, 1447 AH / June 30, 2025 (Monday),” Macacua, chief of staff of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), says in the MC.
He is also the secretary general of the United Bangsamoro Justice Party (UBJP), the political arm of the MILF, which is governing the interim BARMM government through the Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA).
On the other hand, the BARMM chief executive recognized the importance of unhampered services in the regional government created in 2019 by the 2018 Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL), the implementing mechanism of the 2014 Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB).
Thus, he ensured the “continuity of government service” by those affected by the MC as they “shall continue to report to office and perform only their routinary functions, not involving discretion until any action on their resignation is taken.”
In Manila, after receiving the chief minister’s MC, Comelec Chairman George Erwin Garcia had it distributed to reporters.
Meanwhile, Macacua’s MC comes with a caveat, though.
“In case any Minister, Deputy Minister or Head of Office or Agency fails or refuses to comply with this Memorandum Circular for any reason to tender his or her unqualified resignation on or before the deadline, the failing or refusing official shall be deemed resigned,” he emphasizes.
Bangsamoro parliamentary polls soon
Unless the parliamentary political exercise in the region is postponed for the third time, BARMM voters will be electing 73 Members of the Parliament (MPs) as the legislative branch transforms from its transition phase to its regular form.
Previously, there were 80 appointed MPs but seven seats were taken out after the Supreme Court in September 2024 cut the province of Sulu from the BARMM family’s umbilical cord.
Comprising the region are the provinces of Basilan, Lanao del Sur, Maguindanao del Norte, Maguindanao del Sur, Tawi-Tawi, the cities of Cotabato, Lamitan, and Marawi, and the eight new municipalities clustered as the Special Geographic Area (SGA) carved out of North Cotabato province.
Presently, though, a bill is being discussed in the parliament with the purpose of reallocating the seven seats.
But a potential stumbling block of the bill is the opposition being raised by the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF)-Muslimem Sema Group, a source among the MPs told SDN – SciTech & Digital News. The reason being raised by the group is that Sulu may opt to return in the future to the BARMM, the source said.
The BARMM solon who relayed this to SDN cited the MNLF-Misuari group’s reason for its opposition as the possibility that Sulu may eventually return to the fold of the BARMM family.
A post on Comelec’s social media page announced the Calendar of Activities for the 2025 BARMM Parliamentary Elections:
August 14, 2025 to October 28, 2025: Election Period, Gun Ban
August 28, 2025 to October 11, 2025: Campaign Period
October 3 to 13, 2025: Absolute ban on release of public funds except for medical or burial assistance
October 8 to 12, 2025: Final Testing and Sealing of Automated Counting Machines
October 12, 2025: Eve of Election Day, Liquor Ban, Campaigning is Prohibited
𝗢𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝟭𝟯, 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟱
𝗘𝗟𝗘𝗖𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡 𝗗𝗔𝗬, 𝗟𝗶𝗾𝘂𝗼𝗿 𝗕𝗮𝗻, 𝗖𝗮𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝘀 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗵𝗶𝗯𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗱
𝗥𝗲𝗴𝘂𝗹𝗮𝗿 𝗩𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗛𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘀: 𝟳:𝟬𝟬𝗔𝗠-𝟳:𝟬𝟬𝗣𝗠
𝗘𝗮𝗿𝗹𝘆 𝗩𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗛𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘀: 𝟱:𝟬𝟬𝗔𝗠-𝟳:𝟬𝟬𝗔𝗠
November 12, 2025: Last Day to File Statement of Contributions and Expenditures (SOCE)
Reference: Resolution No: 11149
Earlier, Macacua, Maguindanao del Sur Rep. -elect Esmael “Datu Toto” Mangudadatu, Maguindanao del Sur Rep. -elect Bai Dimple Mastura expressed support for the holding of the regional polls as scheduled.
The MILF Central Committee, much earlier, asked President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr., senators and congressmen to support the elections pushing through. — EDD K. Usman (√)