Political bloc inks pact to help ensure clean, safe 2025 Bangsamoro elections

COTABATO CITY — Leaders of a large political coalition in the Bangsamoro region have forged a compact binding them and followers to help ensure a peaceful parliamentary elections next year in the southern autonomous region.

Radio reports on Thursday in Central Mindanao cities and provinces stated that the agreement was signed on Tuesday, during an out of town meeting of signatories Basilan Rep. Mujiv Hataman, Lanao del Sur Gov. Mamintal Adiong Jr., Sulu Gov. Abdusakur Tan Sr., Maguindanao del Sur Gov. Mariam Mangudadatu and her spouse, Suharto Mangudadatu, who has just resigned as executive director of the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority and had served as governor of Sultan Kudarat for three consecutive terms.

Hataman, Adiong, Tan and the Mangudadatu couple are the founding leaders of the Bangsamoro Grand Coalition, most known by its acronym BGC, that shall pit common candidates for the 80-seat parliament of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao during next year’s first ever BARMM parliamentary elections.

The BARMM, which replaced as a result of a plebiscite in 2019 the then 27-year Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, covers the provinces of Maguindanao del Norte, Maguindanao del Sur, Lanao del Sur, Basilan, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi and the cities of Lamitan, Marawi and Cotabato.

Copies of the agreement of the BGC officials that reporters and peace advocacy groups received via Viber and Facebook Messenger late Wednesday also stated that their coalition shall also promote inclusivity, or involvement in regional governance of the Moro, non-Moro communities and the indigenous non-Muslim groups in BARMM.

They also committed to embark on multi-sector, interfaith peacebuilding thrusts that shall alleviate the local communities from nagging security challenges condoning poverty and underdevelopment in some troubled areas in BARMM.

The five BGC officials who signed the agreement are figureheads of their own regional political parties, all registered with the Commission on Elections, as a requisite for participation in next year’s first ever BARMM parliamentary elections.

Tan leads the Sallam party, the Mangudadatus have their Al-Itihad, Hataman has the Bangsamoro Peoples Party while Adiong is a senior official of the Serbisyong Inklusibo, Alyansang Progresibo, or SIAP.

Lanao del Sur Vice Gov. Mohammad Khalid Rakiin Adiong is the president of SIAP that now has more than 300,000 documented members and supporters across BARMM’s six provinces and three cities.