Tawi-Tawi Gov. Ysmael Sali, Maguindanao del Norte Gov. Tucao Mastura, Maguindanao del Sur Gov. Ali Midtimbang and Basilan Vice Gov. Jim Salliman formally joins the Bangsamoro Federalist Party during an oath-taking ceremony at the BARMM regional capitol in Cotabato City on Sunday morning, August 16. (John Unson/Daily Sun)
Three provincial governors and a vice governor have thrown their political weight behind the Bangsamoro Federalist Party, taking an oath of allegiance to the regional party just weeks before the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao’s parliamentary elections.
Tawi-Tawi Gov. Ysmael Sali, Maguindanao del Norte Gov. Tucao Mastura, Maguindanao del Sur Gov. Ali Midtimbang and Basilan Vice Gov. Jim Salliman formally joined the party during an oath-taking ceremony at the BARMM regional capitol in Cotabato City on Sunday morning, August 16.
The ceremony, held at the Shariff Kabunsuan Complex, was presided over by BARMM Chief Minister Abdulraof Macacua, who also serves as regional chairman of the Bangsamoro Federalist Party.
The high-profile defections underscore the growing political machinery being assembled ahead of the September 14 parliamentary elections, with the party emerging as one of more than 10 political parties authorized by the Commission on Elections to participate in the vote.
Sali, Mastura, Midtimbang and Salliman swore their loyalty to the party before Macacua, as political allies, local executives and regional lawmakers looked on.
Among those who witnessed the ceremony were Bangsamoro Parliament members Tomanda Antok and Naguib Sinarimbo, both identified as founders of the Bangsamoro Federalist Party, along with Bangsamoro Local Government Minister Jordan Bayam and other regional lawmakers and local executives from the four provinces.
The party has also been steadily expanding its grassroots base.
More than half of the 116 municipal mayors across BARMM have reportedly joined the Bangsamoro Federalist Party over the past six months, giving Macacua’s political organization a formidable network of local government officials ahead of the parliamentary vote.
Salliman arrived at the ceremony accompanied by mayors from various municipalities in Basilan, highlighting the growing local-government support behind the party.
But the gathering also produced a significant show of support from outside the Federalist Party’s ranks.
Lanao del Sur Gov. Mamintal Adiong Jr. attended the ceremony and publicly declared his support for Macacua’s leadership.
Adiong told those gathered that he and local executives in his province want Macacua to remain chief minister after the September 14 parliamentary elections.
The governor is a ranking official of the Serbisyong Inklusibo, Alyansang Progresibo (SIAP) Party, the first regional political party organized in BARMM following the transition from the former Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, or ARMM, in 2019.
SIAP remains a major political force in the Bangsamoro, claiming more than 500,000 documented members and supporters across the region’s five provinces and three cities.
With the parliamentary elections fast approaching, the rival political blocs are now jockeying for influence โ and the latest defections suggest that the battle for control of the future Bangsamoro government is already well underway.
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