Berk Kutay Gokmen
24 March 2025•Update: 24 March 2025
ISTANBUL
The interim administration in the autonomous Bangsamoro region in the southern Philippines has undergone a leadership change, with Abdulraof Macacua succeeding Murad Ebrahim as chief minister.
“As I step down as the first ICM (interim chief minister) of the BARMM (Bangsamoro), I shall hold firmly to the rope of Allah and steadily seek his guidance,” Ebrahim said in a statement on his Facebook page on Monday.
Ebrahim was succeeded by Abdulraof Macacua, 68, who served as acting governor of Maguindanao del Norte province.
“I shall continue to lead the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and its political party, the United Bangsamoro Justice Party, while extending guidance and support to ICM Macacua,” Ebrahim added.
Macacua also served as chief of staff of the Bangsamoro Islamic Armed Forces (BIAF), the military wing of the MILF.
In January 2019, a referendum approved the "Bangsamoro Organic Law," officially establishing the "Bangsamoro Transition Authority" in the region, following decades of resistance by the Murad Ebrahim-led MILF.
Ebrahim was appointed as interim chief minister of the newly formed Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) by then-President Rodrigo Duterte in February 2019.
Macacua assumed the role last week.
He assured that his administration would uphold the principles of inclusive leadership by actively involving key MILF leaders, including the former chief minister, in crucial decision-making processes, according to the Bangsamoro government website.
Ebrahim said his successor brings "a wealth of experience to this new role."
“His leadership and commitment to peace and development in the region are well-documented. I wish him well in his endeavors,” Ebrahim said.
Separately in Manila, the Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos on Monday oversaw the oath-taking of the newly appointed members of the Bangsamoro parliament.
It was the decision by Marcos to pick Macacua as the second interim chief minister of Bangsamoro.
Ebrahim said Marcos had offered him to become a parliament member, but the former chief minister declined.
Bangsamoro is home to around 5 million people, the majority of whom are Muslims.
The first elections are set to be held in October after being delayed twice.
