The Bangsamoro Parliament elected unanimously on Tuesday Member of Parliament Mohammad Shuaib Yacob as its new Speaker, filling in the post left by Pangalian Balindong, who died last Oct. 2.
In a session on Tuesday afternoon, the Bangsamoro parliament, presided over by Bangsamoro interim Chief Minister Abdulraof Macacua, unanimously voted for Yacob.
Balindong, who served as the parliament Speaker since its inauguration in 2019, passed away due to an illness.
A total of 67 members of parliament were in attendance during the session called by Macacua, and the majority of whom voted for Yacob with no objection or abstention.
Aside from being a parliament member, Yacob is also the BARMM Senior Minister, running the day-to-day affairs of the regional bureaucracy.
Before that, he served as the minister of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Aquatic Resources (MAFAR).
Yacob has been an MP since 2019.
Before that, he served as executive director of the Bangsamoro Development Agency, the main development arm of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front.
Yacob is trained in Shari’ah Law and completed a Doctor of Philosophy degree./coa