BARMM polls: Maguindanao del Norte a key regional battleground

The election outcome in Maguindanao del Norte's 3rd district is crucial as it could determine the direction of the new Bangsamoro region Abdulraof 'Sammy Gambar' Macacua is running for election in the 3rd parliamentary district of Maguindanao del Norte, which will determine his future as the leader of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM). Macacua, a former acting governor and senior BARMM minister, has a significant political background, including leading the Bangsamoro Islamic Armed Forces during the peace agreement that established BARMM. The election results are crucial for the new Bangsamoro region, with Macacua facing challenger Badrudin Mamad in a competitive race, while other districts have varying levels of competition. This is AI-generated. Read the article for full context. Report any errors. CEBU, Philippines – Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) interim Chief Minister Abdulraof “Sammy Gambar” Macacua is running in the 3rd parliamentary district of Maguindanao del Norte where the election results could determine whether he stays or not as the region’s leader. Before his rise to the BARMM top leadership, Macacua was officer-in-charge or acting governor of Maguindanao del Norte. He was a senior BARMM minister before that under then-interim chief minister Ahod “Al Haj Murad” Ebrahim, the chairman of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF). Macacua led the MILF’s armed wing, the Bangsamoro Islamic Armed Forcea (BIAF), at the height of the Front’s struggle that resulted in a peace agreement in 2014 and the creation of the BARMM in 2019. His appointment as acting governor of Maguindanao del Norte in 2023, caused a stir among the ruling Sinsuat and Mangudadatu clans of the old Maguindanao province, which was split into two. His subsequent appointment as Murad’s successor also caused tensions within the MILF. If Macacua wins in the September elections, he would be eligible and could be chosen by the BARMM parliament as the first elected chief minister of the seven-year-old region. This makes the election outcome in the Maguindanao del Norte district crucial as it could determine the direction of the new Bangsamoro region. Based on the Commission on Elections’ database as of May 8, there are a total of 223 barangays and 419,518 registered voters spread throughout the province. Bangsamoro Autonomy Act No. 86, which finalized the region’s 32 parliamentary districts, gave Maguindanao del Norte five seats. Here are the electoral races happening in Maguindanao del Norte’s five parliamentary districts: 1st District: Ex-commander and Tomawis son MAGUINDANAO DEL NORTE 1ST DISTRICT RACE. From left: Abdulkudos Pendatu Balitok and Prince Khalid Tomawis. Photos from their Facebook. The first parliamentary district consists of the towns of Matanog, Barira, and Buldon. Abdulkudos Pendatu Balitok, a former base commander of the BIAF-MILF and ex-deputy minister for public order and safety, is running for the district’s parliamentary seat. Balitok is the bet of the United Bangsamoro Justice Party (UBJP), the MILF’s political party. The former BIAF-MILF commander is up against Prince Khalid Tomawis of the Bangsamoro Federalist Party (BFP), the party founded by Member of Parliament Tomanda Antok. Tomawis is the son of the late former Barira mayor Alexander Tomawis and former Buldon mayor Fatima Ruth Tomawis. 2nd District: Unopposed MAGUINDANAO DEL NORTE 2ND DISTRICT RACE. Member of Parliament Ibrahim Pendat Ibay. Photos from their Facebook. The second district covers the municipality of Parang. Member of Parliament Ibrahim Pendat Ibay, the bet of BFP, is running unopposed in his home turf. Ibay is a former mayor of Parang and a former deputy interior minister of the BARMM. 3rd District: Macacua challenger MAGUINDANAO DEL NORTE 3RD DISTRICT RACE. From left: BARMM Interim Chief Minister Abdulraof Macacua and Badrudin Mamad. Photos from their Facebook. The third district comprises the towns of Northern Kabuntalan, Kabuntalan, and Talitay. It also includes the barangays of Poblacion I and Poblacion VII in Cotabato City, and the barangays of Katamlangan, Nalinan, Kabuntalan, Kapimpilan, and Bulibod in Sultan Kudarat town. Macacua is joining the electoral race here. In a MindaNews article dated May 7, 2026, Macacua, through his son Jamael Macacua, filed his certificate of candidacy as an independent candidate. While he is classified as an independent candidate, Macacua currently leads the BFP after taking over Antok’s role as party president in August. Initially, independent candidate Asnawe Bagundang Baraguir was set to join the district’s parliamentary race but he eventually withdrew his candidacy in May, according to Brigada News FM Cotabato City. Macacua will be going up against Badrudin Mamad, another independent candidate from Barangay Libungan, Northern Kabuntalan. 4th District: Former officials and independent bet MAGUINDANAO DEL NORTE 4TH DISTRICT RACE. From left: Former Maguindanao del Norte vice governor Abdulnasser Maliga Abas, former Maguindanao 1st district representative Bai Sandra Ampatuan Sema, former Upi municipal councilor Alexander Petalcorin Agustin, and Jashriya Sema Dilangalen. Photos from their Facebook. The fourth district includes the towns of Datu Odin Sinsuat, Datu Blah T. Sinsuat, and Upi. Former Maguindanao del Norte vice governor Abdulnasser Maliga Abas is running for the fourth district parliamentary seat. He is the bet of the UBJP. Former Upi municipal councilor Alexander Petalcorin Agustin is running under the Bangsamoro Empowerment and Social Transformation Party (BEST Party) led by Al-Rashid Balt, the director general of the Bangsamoro Ministry of Public Order and Safety. Former Maguindanao 1st district representative Bai Sandra Ampatuan Sema, the wife of incumbent BARMM minister of labor and employment Muslimin Sema, is also in the race as the bet of the Bangsamoro Party (BAPA). Muslimin is the head of BAPA. Also in the race is independent candidate Jashriya Sema Dilangalen. 5th District: Another unopposed bet MAGUINDANAO DEL NORTE 5TH DISTRICT RACE. Member of Parliament Ishak Veloso Mastura. Photos from their Facebook. In the fifth district, which covers Sultan Kudarat and Sultan Mastura, BFP bet and Member of Parliament Ishak Veloso Mastura is running unopposed. Mastura is a deputy speaker of the Bangsamoro parliament and the son of Michael Ong Mastura, a former representative of the first district of the old Maguindanao and Cotabato City. – Rappler.com How does this make you feel? Loading