GENERAL SANTOS CITY (MindaNews / 18 March) – Former North Cotabato governor Emmanuel Piñol criticized Malacañang for disrupting the political stability in the Bangsamoro region by altering its leadership, a move that also upset the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), which claimed the decision lacked consultation. Piñol, former agriculture secretary and chairperson of the Mindanao Development Authority under the Duterte administration, stated that an uneasy atmosphere has emerged in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) following the replacement of MILF chairperson Ahod “Al Haj Murad” Ebrahim by Maguindanao del Norte Gov. Abdulraof Macacua as Interim Chief Minister. The MILF Central Committee condemned the national government for unilaterally deciding the appointment without consulting the MILF leadership. Macacua, who was appointed on March 3, took his oath before President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on March 12. Piñol urged the Marcos administration to respect the autonomy of the BARMM, warning that the leadership change could lead to security instability and affect nearby regions like North Cotabato. He emphasized the need for peace and respect for the Bangsamoro’s self-governance. Piñol is running for North Cotabato governor in the May 2025 elections. Meanwhile, Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr. of the Office of Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation, and Unity defended the leadership change, stating it aligns with the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB) and the Bangsamoro Organic Law. He cited Ebrahim’s resignation letter, in which Ebrahim expressed his desire to focus on the upcoming Bangsamoro parliamentary elections on October 13. Galvez affirmed the Marcos administration and the MILF’s commitment to the CAB, signed in 2014 after 17 years of peace negotiations, and called for unity in building a peaceful and prosperous Bangsamoro under the banner of Bagong Pilipinas.
