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COTABATO CITY/MANILA, April 4, 2026 (SDN) — The political arm of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), the United Bangsamoro Justice Party (UBJP) has broken the ice with the announcement of its 40 nominees for the Bangsamoro region’s oft-postponed first parliamentary elections.
President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. signed Republic Act (RA) No. 12317 on March 26, resetting the first regular polls of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), which is comprised of the provinces of Basilan, Lanao del Sur, Maguindanao del Norte, Maguindanao del Sur, and Tawi-Tawi; the cities of Cotabato, Lamitan, and Basilan; and the Special Geographic Area (SGA) which has eight new municipalities.
Although it is located inside the territory of the province of North Cotabato, the SGA is under the BARMM Government’s sphere of influence and jurisdiction.
Today in Cotabato City, the capital and regional center of the Bangsamoro region, officials and members of the MILF-UBJP under the leadership of Al-Haj Murad Ebrahim as chairman and president, respectively, trooped to the Commission on Elections (Comelec) Office inside the Bangsamoro Government Center (BGC) as they filed with the poll body the party’s required documents to participate in the parliamentary political exercise.
Winners of the elections — in case it finally is conducted, push through — five months from now, shall serve as the first 80 regular members of the parliament (MPs), from which the first regular chief minister shall be chosen by a party that wins a majority.
Ebrahim spoke about the activities that occurred at the Comelec-BARMM.
“Today, we officially submitted to the (Comelec) the manifestation and intention of the (UBJP) as the Regional Parliamentary Political Party (RPPP) in the first ever BARMM Parliamentary Election (BPE), in accordance with the existing laws and the goal of participating in the democratic process of the Bangsamoro,” Ebrahim says.
He emphasized that the UBJP, being the MILF’s political party and political wing continues to be “committed to serving the Bangsamoro people through genuine unity, justice, prosperity, and strengthening the jihad (holy struggle) spirit.”
Ebrahim spoke about the importance of preserving the Bangsamoro people’s struggle, as he adds: “Together with our party nominees, members, and district representatives, let’s make sure that our more than 50 years of fighting for the right to self-determination under the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB)” will not be lost.
One of the 40 UBJP nominees, Bangsamoro Parliament Speaker Mohammad S. Yacob, Ph.D., revealed the names of his co-nominees, announcing it before the local media after their sortie at the Comelec.
Before giving the nominees, he congratulated the tri-people of the Bangsamoro region — Muslim, Christian, and Indigenous People (IP), saying the political struggle of the MILF through the UBJP is a continuation of the vision and aspiration of the Bangsamoro people.
Here’s the complete list of the nominees of the UBJP now with the Comelec:
