COTABATO CITY, BARMM, Philippines — The Bangsamoro Federalist Party (BFP) and the United Bangsamoro Justice Party (UBJP) dominated the race for seats in the 80-member regular Parliament of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), according to unofficial counts from the Commission on Elections’ media server on Tuesday.
Both parties are led by former Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) fighters who now find themselves on opposite sides of the political fence following Monday’s historic elections, a major step in the region’s transition from armed struggle to democratic self-governance.
The UBJP is headed by MILF chief Ahod “Al Haj Murad” Ebrahim, while the BFP is led by BARMM interim Chief Minister Abdulraof Macacua, a former commander of the MILF’s armed wing.
Of the 80 regular seats, 40 are allocated to party representatives through proportional representation, while the other 40 are regular members. Two of the latter seats, reserved for non-Moro indigenous peoples, were selected through an assembly of six tribes on Aug. 25. The remaining 38 seats—32 district seats and six sectoral seats—were contested on Monday.
READ: Pre-shaded BARMM ballots go to Comelec main office for probe
As of 3:29 p.m. on Tuesday, with 98.6 percent of election returns counted, UBJP had secured all six sectoral seats. However, the results had yet to be formally proclaimed pending voting in 36 precincts in Maluso, Basilan, where ballots were found preshaded.
The Maluso vote, involving up to 16,563 voters, could also affect the distribution of party seats.
BFP had 35.15 percent of the votes, followed by UBJP with 32.42 percent, BARMM Grand Coalition (BGC) with 20.55 percent, and Bangsamoro People’s (Raayat) Democratic Party with 3.61 percent. The four parties surpassed the 2.5-percent threshold for proportional representation. Hence, in the allocation of the 40 seats, BFP will have 16 nominees for party seats, UBJP 15, BGC eight, and Raayat one.
In the district races, BFP is projected to win 15 of 32 seats, UBJP nine, Serbisyong Inklusibo-Alyansang Progresibo (SIAP) six, and Itihad and Progresibong Bangsamoro Party (Pro-Bangsamoro) one each.
Coalition building
Overall, BFP is projected to win 30 of the 80 seats and UBJP 29. Neither party has secured a majority, making coalition-building crucial to forming the next regional government.
BGC, with nine seats, and SIAP, with six, could hold the balance of power, while the smaller parties and the indigenous representatives could also play a role in determining the parliamentary majority.
UBJP spokesperson Mohajirin Ali said on Tuesday that the party had yet to decide whether to form a coalition.
The parties of former Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) leaders, including the Bangsamoro Party (Bapa) and Mahardika Party, posted weaker results.
But former government peace negotiator Miriam Coronel-Ferrer praised the UBJP, Bapa and Mahardika “for their great effort to build their capacity to enter the field of electoral politics and play by the rules of the electoral process.”
“Win or lose, may they all keep their moral compass—or recover it if already tarnished—intact in this crucial transition toward good Bangsamoro governance,” Ferrer wrote in a social media post.
She noted that the UBJP, Bapa and Mahardika had to “face a well-financed national government-backed party [and each other] and well-entrenched powerful clans, notably in Lanao del Sur.”
During a roundtable discussion with Inquirer editors and reporters on Tuesday, Ferrer said the entry of new and younger politicians into the parliamentary elections was a positive development in the BARMM.
“The regional parliamentary system has really managed to somehow put a wedge in the hold of traditional powers. New blood has entered,” she noted.
Continuing peace process
She said it was “very hopeful” to see young people enter politics through the party system, bringing party platforms and positions on specific issues to the elections.
“It was certainly refreshing,” she added.
Duyog Bangsamoro, a multisectoral civil society coalition monitoring the BARMM elections, urged the incoming parliament to uphold the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB) and continue the peace process with the MILF regardless of the election results.
“Whatever happens in elections, the CAB must be completed with the MILF,” said Teresita Quintos Deles, former presidential adviser on the peace process.
At least 12 women are projected to join the regular parliament, accounting for only 15 percent of its membership.
After being proclaimed winner of a district seat in Maguindanao del Norte, Macacua called for unity among Bangsamoro leaders.
“The election is over, but our work does not end here. Now is the time to unite and continue what we have started,” Macacua said.
Election monitoring
Meanwhile, the Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP) said it received no formal election-related complaints during its monitoring operations. IBP national president Allan Panolong said the group was prepared to provide legal assistance, but no voters sought help.
Panolong acknowledged that some voters may have been reluctant to report concerns. He also praised the Comelec for promptly suspending voting in Maluso after the preshaded ballots were discovered.
According to Comelec Chair George Erwin Garcia, the poll body has already identified the individuals behind the incident.
“Just wait for the Commission en banc to return to Manila and we will immediately issue respective orders to start holding the culprits accountable,” he told reporters here.
Panolong said election-related violence, including incidents in Cotabato City that left at least four people dead and around two dozen wounded, did not disrupt the overall voting process.
He also defended the heavy security deployment, saying it was necessary to protect voters and maintain peace and order.
Malacañang on Tuesday said the election was a success despite the reported violent incidents mostly in Cotabato City.
“Although the President and this administration would not want any violence to occur, and he has ordered authorities to closely monitor and protect our people from these kinds of incidents, the Philippine National Police has reported that, according to its assessment, the election was generally peaceful and orderly,” Palace press officer Claire Castro said in a briefing.
“So, from the administration’s perspective, yesterday’s election in BARMM went well,” she added. —With reports from Richel Umel, Leah Agonoy, Divina Suson, Taher Solaiman, Chelsy Claire Perez, Dianne Sampang, Dexter Cabalza, and Holly Bacay
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