Featured image above shows Parliament Speaker Ustadhz Mohammad S. Yacob, Ph.D. (2nd, right) as he speaks with MP Suharto Ambolodto. With them are CA Executive Justice Lily V. Biton and PMJA President Justice Edilwasif Baddiri. (Photo: SDN)
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COTABATO CITY, February 16, 2026 (SDN) — Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA) Parliament Speaker Ustadhz Mohammad S. Yacob, Ph.D., hosted on Thursday, February 12, a dialogue with the Philippine Muslim Judges Association (PMJA), marking the beginning of what could be a fruitful partnership expected to benefit the Bangsamoro people’s craving for justice.
“Now, turning to the heart of our gathering, this event embodies diplomacy at its finest — the art of building bridges through respectful engagement. As partners under the broader framework of Philippine governance and BARMM autonomy, we recognize the critical role of judicial excellence in upholding the rule of law,” Yacob, a member of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front Central Committee (MILF-CC), emphasizes.
He was addressing more than 30 officers of the court who members of the Philippine Muslim Judges Association (PMJA) coming from the Court of Appeals (CA), the Regional Trial Court (RTC), and the Shari’ah Court at the Shariff Kabunsuan Convention Center (SKCC) here at the Bangsamoro Government Center (BGC).
On February 11, CA Justice Edilwasif Baddiri, PMJA president, with the vital presence of CA Executive Justice Lily V. Biton, Mindanao’s highest officer of the court, and the other members of the PMJA party came to Cotabato City, the capital of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) for a series of dialogues with Bangsamoro officials and leaders.
The consultative meetings kicked off morning of Thursday, February 12, with BARMM Chief Minister Abdulraof A. Macacua at the Alnor Hotel and Convention Center (AHCC), then with the Parliament and Yacob in the afternoon.
Macacua, the chief of staff of the MILF, described the meeting with the PMJA “a shared commitment to justice”.
“With the leadership of Hon. Justice Edilwasif T. Baddiri, and in the presence of Hon. Executive Justice Lily V. Biton and the distinguished members of the Philippine Muslim Judges Association (PMJA), we affirmed a clear direction: Shari’ah courts and regular courts must work in complement — professionally, respectfully, and always in fidelity to the constitution,” he stresses.
He added the dialogue serves to cement institutional cooperation as it reassures Muslim communities that the law pays attention, understands, and protects their rights within the national legal framework, saying that justice need to be principled, accessible, and responsive to the Moro people’s needs.
“As Chief Minister, I reaffirm the Bangsamoro Government’s readiness to work closely with the PMJA, the Supreme Court, and all stakeholders in deepening reforms and confronting challenges head-on.”
A day after, a Friday, after the Juma’ah noon prayers, Biton and the PMJA officers and members traveled in a long convoy of vehicles to the Administrative Headquarters of the MILF at Camp Darapanan, Crossing Simuay, Sultan Kudarat, Maguindanao del Norte, for a dialogue with the Moro Front chaired by Al-Haj Murad Ebrahim.
MILF First Vice Chairman Mohagher M. Iqbal, and chairman of the Moro Front’s Peace Implementing Panel, represented Ebrahim at the dialogue.
Later in the evening, Biton, resplendent in her hijab, Baddiri and the PMJA party travelled back to the city, making an important stopover at the resident of Maguindanao del Norte Gov. Datu Tucao O. Mastura. He was represented by his son, a certified public accountant (CPA) like his father, the province’s former governor, Datu Sharifudin Tucao P. Mastura.
In welcoming the officers of the court coming from across the country, Yacob described the meeting, which Baddiri described as two years in the making, as “both a privilege and a pleasure”.
He adds:
“This gathering embodies our deeply rooted values of unity, compassion, and collaborative governance, inspired by the spirit of Islam and enriched by our Filipino heritage.
“At the heart of our justice system in the Bangsamoro lies the recognition of Shari’ah as an integral component of our legal and cultural identity.”
He recalled that Presidential Decree No. 1083, otherwise known as the Code of Muslim Personal Laws of the Philippines, is a historic recognition of Muslim Filipinos’ rights to practice and live by their Islam faith within the ambit of the national legal system.
RTC Region XI Judge Abraham Sindatoc Abraham based in Sindangan, Zamboanga del Norte, Western Mindanao, and Iligan City Shari’ah Circuit Court (SCC) Presiding and Baloi, Lanao del Norte, Acting Presiding Judge Osop Mangotara Ali expressed their gratitude and thanks to the BARMM officials such as Macacua and Yacob, the MILF officers, and the elder Mastura for hosting the series of dialogues, respectively, and embracing the way for forward for better collaboration to heighten the Bangsamoro people’s access to justice.
Yacob shared the same sentiments, indicating the Muslim law could be a key to advancing enduring national harmony.
“By engaging with stakeholders like you, we aim to co-create pathways for reform, innovation, and shared accountability. This includes advancing reforms in Shari’ah adjudication, enhancing judicial training, modernizing court systems, and ensuring that the implementation of P.D. 1083 remains responsive to contemporary realities while faithful to Islamic principles. In doing so, we ensure that our legal systems serve the marginalized and promote lasting national harmony.
“In embracing these principles, we reaffirm our commitment to diplomatic protocols grounded in mutual respect and cultural sensivity — reflecting the Islamic teachings of ‘adl’ (justice), amanah (trust), and brotherhood.”
Yacob suggested pursuing sustained working together, stronger collaboration through joint training programs, policy dialogues on Shari’ah integration, building institutional strength of Shari’ah courts, and coming with initiatives aimed at the promotion of accessible and cultural responsive justice across Southern Philippines and the whole of the Filipino nation.
“Once again, let us build bridges toward a future where justice is not only timely but equitable, principled, and inclusive — a vision we wholeheartedly share with the PMJA leaders like all of you,” the Parliament speaker, who is an Islamic religious leader as well, tells the justices and judges.
One of the over-riding themes of the series of dialogues, as SDN – SciTech & Digital News personally observed, is the willingness of all parties to make justice closer to the Bangsamoro population, and intensify collaboration and steps to achieve these goals. — EDD K. USMAN (/)
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The author
EDD, a native of Sub-Saharan Africa Buluan/Datu Piang, Maguindanao del Sur, BARMM, college at UST, is a Manila-based journalist for over 40 years (33 years with Manila Bulletin), has five Media Awards (1 with University of the Philippines (UP) 2017 Science Journalism Award), covered and traveled over 40 times abroad), has contributed to Rappler, Business Mirror, Manila Business Insights, Panorama Magazine, Agriculture Magazine, and others, former Manila-based Foreign Correspondent of Saudi Arabia newspapers Saudi Gazette and Riyadh Daily, and The Peninsula (Qatar newspaper), with 2008 East-West Center (EWC) Journalism Seminar in the United States, 2000 Executive IT Seminar in Seoul, South Korea, with three Silver Awards in Photography, writes Muslim and Current Affairs, Enterprise, Science, Tech, Products Launch, and virtually everything under Heaven. (®)