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 upcoming election results could determine whether he stays or not as the region’s leader, according to regional reports. 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, making the district race a crucial pivot for the direction of the new Bangsamoro area.
Before stepping into BARMM top leadership, Macacua served as the officer-in-charge or acting governor of Maguindanao del Norte. Earlier, he worked as a senior BARMM minister under then-interim chief minister Ahod “Al Haj Murad” Ebrahim, who is the chairman of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF). At the height of the Front’s struggle, Macacua led the MILF’s armed wing, the Bangsamoro Islamic Armed Forcea (BIAF). That armed struggle ultimately resulted in a peace agreement in 2014 and the subsequent creation of the BARMM in 2019. His 2023 appointment as acting governor stirred a reaction among the ruling Sinsuat and Mangudadatu clans of the old Maguindanao province before it was split into two, while his later appointment as Murad’s successor created tensions within the MILF.
District Races Across Maguindanao del Norte
Maguindanao del Norte holds five parliamentary seats allocated under Bangsamoro Autonomy Act No. 86, which finalized the region’s 32 parliamentary districts. Based on a Commission on Elections database as of May 8, the province encompasses a total of 223 barangays and 419,518 registered voters. The electoral map features distinct contests across all five districts, mixing former armed commanders, veteran local officials, and unopposed incumbents.
Contests in the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Districts
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 seat as the candidate of the United Bangsamoro Justice Party (UBJP), the political party of the MILF. He faces Prince Khalid Tomawis of the Bangsamoro Federalist Party (BFP), a 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. In the second district, which covers the municipality of Parang, Member of Parliament Ibrahim Pendat Ibay is running unopposed in his home turf as the BFP candidate, drawing on his background as a former mayor of Parang and former deputy interior minister of the BARMM. In the third district comprising Northern Kabuntalan, Kabuntalan, Talitay, specific barangays in Cotabato City (Poblacion I and Poblacion VII), and specific barangays in Sultan Kudarat town (Katamlangan, Nalinan, Kabuntalan, Kapimpilan, and Bulibod), Macacua filed his certificate of candidacy as an independent candidate through his son Jamael Macacua, according to MindaNews on May 7, 2026. Although running as an independent, Macacua currently leads the BFP after taking over Antok’s role as party president in August. Another independent candidate, Asnawe Bagundang Baraguir, initially planned to join the race but withdrew in May according to Brigada News FM Cotabato City, leaving Macacua to face independent candidate Badrudin Mamad from Barangay Libungan, Northern Kabuntalan.
Did You Know? Before the parliamentary districts were finalized, the old Maguindanao province was split into two, and Maguindanao del Norte was assigned a total of five parliamentary seats under Bangsamoro Autonomy Act No. 86.
Races in the 4th and 5th Districts
Sinsuat, and Upi. Former Maguindanao del Norte vice governor Abdulnasser Maliga Abas is running for the fourth district seat under the UBJP. He is opposed by former Upi municipal councilor Alexander Petalcorin Agustin of the Bangsamoro Empowerment and Social Transformation Party (BEST Party), led by Al-Rashid Balt, who serves as the director general of the Bangsamoro Ministry of Public Order and Safety. Also contesting the fourth district is former Maguindanao 1st district representative Bai Sandra Ampatuan Sema—the wife of BARMM minister of labor and employment and BAPA head Muslimin Sema—running as the candidate of the Bangsamoro Party (BAPA), alongside independent candidate Jashriya Sema Dilangalen. Meanwhile, the fifth district covering Sultan Kudarat and Sultan Mastura features another unopposed candidate: BFP member and parliament deputy speaker Ishak Veloso Mastura, who is the son of former representative of the first district of the old Maguindanao and Cotabato City Michael Ong Mastura.
Frequently Asked Questions
What position is Abdulraof “Sammy Gambar” Macacua running for?
Macacua is running for a parliamentary seat in the 3rd parliamentary district of Maguindanao del Norte.
How many parliamentary seats are assigned to Maguindanao del Norte?
Under Bangsamoro Autonomy Act No. 86, Maguindanao del Norte is given five seats across its parliamentary districts.
Who are the unopposed candidates in the parliamentary elections?
Member of Parliament Ibrahim Pendat Ibay is running unopposed in the 2nd district, and Member of Parliament Ishak Veloso Mastura is running unopposed in the 5th district.
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