(Photo from MILF Facebook)
COTABATO CITY – The Bangsamoro Parliament is set to hold its inaugural session Friday, October 30, marking a major milestone in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao’s (BARMM) transition from an interim administration to an elected government.
The 80 members of the parliament are scheduled to formally assume their legislative duties at 1:30 p.m. at the Shariff Kabunsuan Cultural Complex inside the BARMM Government Center in Cotabato City.
Among the highlights of the historic session are the elections of the parliament’s speaker and the region’s chief minister, two of the highest leadership positions in the Bangsamoro government.
Incumbent Chief Minister Abdulraof Macacua of the Bangsamoro Federalist Party and former Chief Minister Ahod Balawag Ebrahim, chairman of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and leader of the United Bangsamoro Justice Party, are among the leading contenders for the chief minister position.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is expected to attend the inaugural session as the region takes another step toward establishing a fully elected parliamentary government.
Security has been tightened across the BARMM Government Center, with personnel from the Armed Forces of the Philippines and Philippine National Police placed on full alert.
Members of the PNP Civil Disturbance Management Unit have also been deployed at the government center’s main entrance to maintain peace and order during the gathering.
Two presidential helicopters intended to transport Marcos and his delegation were spotted on standby Friday morning at Awang Airport in Datu Odin Sinsuat, Maguindanao del Norte.
Since BARMM was established in 2019, the region has operated under a transitional government as part of the peace agreement between the national government and the MILF.
The inaugural session marks the first time the Bangsamoro Parliament will be composed of elected representatives, signaling a significant development in the region’s democratic transition and the continuing implementation of the Bangsamoro peace process.
