More than half of the 36 mayors in Maguindanao del Sur and Maguindanao del Norte have joined the Bangsamoro Federalist Party, which has fielded candidates for the parliament of the autonomous region in its first regional elections on September 14 this year.
Besides the mayors, a number of municipal councilors, vice mayors, and traditional Moro leaders from across Maguindanao del Sur and Maguindanao del Norte also attended separate caucuses of the Bangsamoro Federalist Party on Sunday, April 26, where officials discussed its peace and development initiatives for Muslim, Christian and non-Moro indigenous communities in both provinces.
The new members of the Bangsamoro Federalist Party took their oath and pledged to support its peace and development agenda during the two gatherings, one held in Talayan, Maguindanao del Sur and the other in Cotabato City, the capital of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.
The Bangsamoro Federalist Party is one of more than 10 political blocs that the regional office of the Commission on Elections in Cotabato City has allowed to participate in the upcoming September 14 BARMM parliamentary elections.
Two ranking officials of the Bangsamoro Federalist Party, Tomanda Antok and Naguib Sinarimbo, both members of the 80-seat BARMM parliament, led the activities in Talayan and Cotabato City.
‘We shall also be reaching out to leaders in other provinces and cities in the autonomous region who had signified intention to join the Bangsamoro Federalist Party,’ Sinarimbo told reporters on the sidelines of their activity at the Al-Nor Complex in Cotabato City on Sunday afternoon.
The core territory of BARMM encompasses the provinces of Maguindanao del Sur, Maguindanao del Norte, Lanao del Sur, Basilan and Tawi-Tawi, as well as the cities of Lamitan, Marawi and Cotabato.
The party’s new members took their oath and pledged to abide by its rules during both events, held in the presence of their relatives and supporters, including barangay officials.
The new members of the Bangsamoro Federalist Party also assured support for the efforts of the Comelec, the police, and the military to ensure peaceful and honest elections in BARMM on September 14.