COTABATO CITY — Bangsamoro officials have slammed as “harassment” a petition for indirect contempt filed before the Supreme Court against 10 regional lawmakers over the delayed reapportionment of parliamentary districts following Sulu’s exclusion from the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).
The petition was filed by a lone complainant, Zaoawi Buludan, who accused the lawmakers of failing to pass an enabling law to redistribute the seven parliamentary districts previously allocated to Sulu.
Bangsamoro Officials Question Motive
Last year, the Supreme Court ruled that Sulu is no longer part of BARMM’s core territory, acting on a petition filed by then Sulu governor Hadji Abdusakur Tan Sr. Tan was later elected vice governor of the province in the May 12, 2025 elections.
In separate messages to reporters on Wednesday, January 7, local executives from BARMM’s five provinces questioned both the credibility and motive of the petitioner, urging the judiciary to look into Buludan’s identity and standing.
Named respondents in the contempt petition are parliament members Naguib Sinarimbo, Amenodin Sumagayan, Romeo Sema, Ishak Mastura, Tomanda Antok, Zulfikar Ali Bayam, Rasul Esmael, Baintan Ampatuan, Rasol Mitmug Jr., and Kitem Kadatuan Jr.
The 10 lawmakers are co-authors of a proposed regional measure that seeks to establish seven new parliamentary districts across BARMM’s five provinces and three cities, following Sulu’s removal from the autonomous region.
Under a directive signed late last year by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., Sulu has been placed under Administrative Region 9.
Buludan, who is largely unknown to BARMM local officials, argued that the Bangsamoro Parliament has yet to pass a new reapportionment law, even after the Supreme Court declared two earlier measures — Bangsamoro Autonomy Acts 58 and 77 — unconstitutional.
Unfair
Sinarimbo, a lawyer and former BARMM minister of local government who was appointed to parliament in March 2025, said the petition unfairly singled out only a handful of lawmakers.
“This is harassment and persecution,” Sinarimbo said. “The petition is technically flawed because it targets only selected members of parliament. The initiative is being undertaken by the parliament as a collective body.”
Two provincial officials also raised concerns over documents allegedly circulated by Buludan’s camp to media organizations, noting that the copies lacked a Supreme Court docket number and did not contain the full narrative of the petition, including the petitioner’s complete name and signature.
The passage of a law creating seven new parliamentary districts is seen as critical to the conduct of BARMM’s first-ever regional parliamentary elections.
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