Bangsamoro Parliament picks speaker, other leaders

COTABATO CITY, Philippines — A former congressman of Lanao del Sur as new speaker of the interim parliament of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.

Lawyer Ali Pangalian Balindong, former deputy speaker for Mindanao, replaced Ghazali Jaafar of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front who died two weeks ago due to a heart ailment.

Balindong is among the nominees of the MILF to the Bangsamoro Transition Authority that President Rodrigo Duterte appointed in February to act as the new region's interim government.

The MILF has 41 representatives to the 80-member multi-sector BTA that will manage the Bangsamoro government until regional officials are elected in 2022.

In separate text messages Friday, BARMM officials and BTA members confirmed to The STAR the election of Balindong as speaker of the regional parliament during a caucus on Thursday afternoon.

The new set of leaders were elected in time for the inauguration of the BARMM later on Friday afternoon. 

President Rodrigo Duterte, who pushed for passage of the Bangsamoro Organic Law, will lead the inauguration ceremony.  The president last visited Cotabato City three days before the Commission on Elections administered the January 21 plebiscite for the ratification of the BOL.

RELATED: Cotabato City ready for BARMM inauguration

Staff of BARMM’s interim chief minister, Hadji Ahod Ebrahim, more commonly known by his nom de guerre Murad Ebrahim, said they are certain Balindong is capable of pushing forward the peace and development agenda of the Bangsamoro government as speaker of the regional parliament.

Balindong served as a pioneer member of the now Regional Assembly of the now defunct ARMM prior to his stint as three-term congressional representative of the second district of Lanao del Sur.

BTA members also named Basilan’s representative to the transitory group, Hatimil Hassan as deputy speaker. Hassan fought the government in the 1970s as sa enior official of the Moro National Liberation Front in the island province.

Laisa Masuhud Alamia, former executive secretary of ARMM, was chosen as minority floor leader of the BARMM parliament.

Another lawyer, Lanang Ali, Jr. was named parliament majority floor leader.

Raby Angkal and Dan Dimakenal shall sit in the BARMM parliament as secretary-general and sergeant-at-arms, respectively.