Mangudadatus call on Lagdameo to resign
COTABATO CITY (MindaNews / 10 Oct) – Three gubernatorial candidates from the Mangudadatu clan who are running in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) and in Sultan Kudarat are calling on Special Assistant to the President Antonio Lagdameo Jr. to resign, accusing him of destroying family alliances in the area.
The three are Suharto “Teng” Mangudadatu, former governor and congressional representative of Sultan Kudarat, who is now running for governor of Maguindanao del Norte; his wife Mariam, who is running as governor of Maguindanao del Sur (she currently sits as governor by virtue of her appointment after the split of the old Maguindanao province into two); ang Datu Pax Ali, who is seeking reelection as governor of Sultan Kudarat.
The trio, in fact, have a mouthful of expletives for Lagdameo, whom they accused of too much meddling in the BARMM and of getting money from the coffers of the region.
“You are like a leech,” said Gov. Mariam as she expressed her disgust for Lagdameo during a gathering with the press after she filed her candidacy on Oct. 7. “What is in BARMM that you really want to suck?” she added.
“You are pitting family members and political allies against one another,” Mariam said, citing the breaking of the relationship and alliances they built to unite political clans in the Maguindanao provinces.
Pax Ali has called for the resignation of Lagdameo after accusing the latter of harassing, coercing, and threatening to pull out security forces or face legal consequences if the Mangudadatus will not heed to the alliance being endorsed by Malacañang under the leadership of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF)-backed United Bangsamoro Justice Party (UBJP).
“We are calling for the resignation of SAP Anton Lagdameo. I hope he stops interfering in the elections. He no longer represents the principles and ideals of the President of unity. He threatens us that he will cut the wings of Sultan Kudarat,” he said.
The same attack was also uttered by Suharto.
“What is really your interest in BARMM, SAP Anton? Is it because you get a billion a month?” said the former director general of the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA).
But the three Mangudadatus are not only attacking Lagdameo. They also spoke harsh words against South Cotabato Gov. Reynaldo Tamayo Jr., president of the Partido Federal ng Pilipinas (PFP), the party of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
“Your group of contractors, SAP Lagdameo, is working with the contractors of Governor Tamayo,” Suharto alleged.
PFP has formed an alliance with the UBJP.
Members of the political clans of the previous undivided Maguindanao province—particularly the Midtimbangs, Masturas, and Sinsuats—used to be in in the same alliance as the Mangudadatus, but this was shattered before the filing of certificates of candidacy after they bolted from Mangudadatu and joined the MILF’s party alliances.
The issue heated up when Lagdameo called for a meeting in Sotogrande Hotel in Davao City on Oct. 6 with top officials of the BARMM, PFP’s Tamayo and municipal mayors of both Maguindanao provinces.
In the meeting, it was decided that the standard bearer for Maguindanao del Norte will be Datu Tucao Mastura, the incumbent mayor of Sultan Kudarat in Maguindanao del Norte, but will have free zones for vice governor and district representation.
It was also decided that they will field Datu Ali Midtimbang, mayor of Talayan in Maguindanao del Sur, as standard bearer in the province. He will tandem with Ustadz Hisham Mando. For congressional representative, they will field former Maguindanao Gov. Esmael “Toto” Mangudadatu, who is at odds with the family of Suharto Mangudadatu even if they are first cousins. Toto was defeated by Mariam in the gubernatorial race in the 2022 elections of the yet undivided Maguindanao province.
The camp of Lagdameo and Tamayo, in a statement, said: “We categorically deny the baseless accusations that funds intended for the [BARMM] have been misappropriated or that politicians are being coerced to join the administration.”
They said these allegations are not only false but malicious and intended to mislead the public.
Earlier, BARMM Chief Minister Ahod Ebrahim and other key leaders from Mindanao have seconded the statement of Lagdameo and Tamayo’s camp, affirming that no coercion or harassment has taken place.
The recent gathering in Davao City of BARMM mayors and other prominent leaders was described as peaceful and respectful, with no undue pressure exerted on any official, according to Lagdameo and Tamayo.
“As the Special Assistant to the President, my role is to uphold transparency, accountability, and integrity in every aspect of my duties. The allocation and utilization of funds for BARMM follow legal, transparent processes designed to ensure that they are used exclusively for the development and inclusive growth of the region and its people,” Lagdameo said.
“As Governor of South Cotabato and National President of the Partido Federal ng Pilipinas, my focus has been on building partnerships based on shared goals for the nation’s advancement,” added Tamayo.
“We do not engage in any tactics that undermine democratic processes or the political freedom of local officials. We invite those making these claims to present any evidence they may have, rather than resorting to unfounded statements that distract from the mission of serving the Filipino people,” the joint statement said.
Former BARMM executive secretary and now Maguindanao del Norte Governor Abdulraof “Sammy Gambar” Macacua also rallied behind BARMM and Lagdameo, refuting the Mangudadatus’ accusations.
“You could just imagine how can we disburse a billion of amount from the treasury when a small amount of funds, like a hundred thousand pesos, would be needing a lot of processes and approval. Obviously that is an unbelievable accusation,” he said.
Meanwhile, nine mayors in Maguindanao del Norte and three mayors from Maguindanao del Sur have faced the media to disprove the accusations that they were forced to join the UBJP and PFP.
“There was never a coercion. We are not kids to be swayed and just be dictated to whoever we wanted to ally with. It is our free will to choose our party,” said Mayor Salaban Diocolano, of Kabuntalan in Maguindanao del Norte. (Ferdinandh Cabrera / MindaNews)
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