COTABATO CITY, Philippines — Abdulrauf Macacua secured the leadership of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao on Friday, winning the support of 51 of the 80 members of the newly elected parliament and defeating former chief minister Ahod Ebrahim in a closely watched contest over the region’s political direction.
Macacua, who had served as interim chief minister since March 2025 under an appointment by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., was elected during the inaugural session of the Bangsamoro Parliament following the region’s Sept. 14 elections.
Ebrahim, who led the autonomous government from its establishment in 2019 until 2025, received 27 votes. He is the chairman of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, whose 2014 peace agreement with the national government paved the way for the creation of the Bangsamoro autonomous region. The agreement led to the establishment of BARMM in 2019, replacing the former Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, a less empowered autonomous government that had existed for nearly three decades.
The result gives Macacua a fresh mandate from an elected legislature after more than a year in office as a presidential appointee. It also marks a significant political contest within the leadership that emerged from the peace process between the Philippine government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front.
Macacua pledged to serve the region’s diverse communities, including Muslims, Christians and non-Moro indigenous peoples. “I shall do my best to serve the Muslim, Christian, and non-Moro indigenous communities in the region,” he said after his election.
Marcos attended the opening program of the parliament’s inaugural session at the Bangsamoro regional capitol in uptown Cotabato City, underscoring the national government’s interest in the region’s political transition and continuing peace process.
In remarks to the newly elected lawmakers, Marcos pledged continued support for the Bangsamoro government’s peace and development efforts and urged them to work together. “Peace is what we can offer to each other,” the president said.
Macacua thanked the 51 lawmakers who voted for him, saying he was grateful for their confidence. The same 51 members also supported Amer Zacaria Rakim for parliament speaker, defeating Mohammad Yacob, who received 27 votes.
Macacua’s vote revealed a clear alignment among lawmakers behind Macacua’s leadership, reinforced by support from all five provincial governors in the autonomous region.
Governors Tucao Mastura of Maguindanao del Norte, Ali Midtimbang of Maguindanao del Sur, Mamintal Adiong Jr. of Lanao del Sur, Mujiv Hataman of Basilan and Ysmael Ali of Tawi-Tawi had crossed political party lines to express their preference for Macacua to remain at the helm.
In an official statement released a week before the inaugural session, the five governors had called for his continued leadership.
The transition to an elected parliament represents an important milestone in the implementation of that agreement. Before the Sept. 14 elections, all members of the interim Bangsamoro Parliament had been appointed by the president.
The newly elected 80-member legislature now faces the challenge of translating the peace settlement into more effective governance across the autonomous region’s five provinces and three cities.
IN THE PHOTO: Abdulrauf Macacua was elected chief minister of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao on Oct. 30, 2026, receiving 51 votes from the newly elected parliament and defeating former chief minister Ahod Ebrahim. (John Unson)
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