BARMM has a new head of Ministry of Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs

MindaNews / 6 August — Bangsamoro interim Chief Minister Abdulraof Macacua has accepted the resignation of Minister Melanio Ulama of the Ministry of Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs (MIPA).

Guiamal Abdulrahman takes his oath as head of the Ministry of Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs before Chief Minister Abdulraof Macacua. MIPA photo

The new MIPA minister is Guiamal Abdulrahman, who previously served as Indigenous Peoples Mandatory Representative of Maguindanao del Norte.

Ulama and Abdulrahman are both from the Indigenous Peoples (IP) group Teduray.

Abdulrahman thanked Macacua for appointing him as MIPA minister. He took his oath of office before the chief minister last August 1, after his appointment the previous day.

“This appointment is not merely a designation, but a sacred duty to serve our Indigenous Peoples and their communities with integrity, compassion, and urgency,” Abdulrahman said in his message.

Last June 23, Macacua ordered the courtesy resignations of top BARMM officials in response to complaints against Bangsamoro officials and his attempt “to improve efficiency and effectiveness of service delivery” as the transition period of the Bangsamoro government draws to a close.

Abdulrahman lauded his predecessor Ulama for his “invaluable service and steadfast commitment” to the advancement of the Indigenous Peoples in the region.

“His work has laid a strong foundation upon which we must continue to build,” Abdulrahman said.

Under the leadership of Ulama, who served as MIPA minister since the establishment of the Bangsamoro region in 2019, the Bangsamoro Indigenous Peoples’ Act (BIPA) of 2024

was enacted and signed by former Chief Minister Ahod “Al Haj Murad” Ebrahim.

The BIPA, which seeks to address the long-standing challenges faced by non-Moro IPs in the BARMM, introduced a comprehensive legal framework to protect and empower various IP communities, including the Téduray, Lambangian, Dulangan Manobo, Erumanun Ne Menuvu, Higaonon, Blaan, Badjao, Sama Dilaut, Jama Mapun, Sama Bangingi, and Sama Pangutaran, among others.

One of its core provisions is the explicit recognition of IPs’ ownership over their ancestral domains, referred to as “fusaka ingëd,” which include the lands, forests, rivers, and other natural resources historically owned and utilized by these communities.

The BIPA is one of the priority measures during the transition period, which will end on October 30 when the first set of elected parliamentary officials are sworn into office.

The BARMM will hold its first parliamentary elections on October 13. The conduct of the first regional polls had been extended twice by former President Rodrigo Duterte and then by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.

Abdulrahman is the son of the late Ustadz Abukhalil Yahya, a member of the Indigenous Peoples community and a respected pioneer of the Bangsamoro struggle.

“His legacy of faith, courage, and unwavering devotion to justice continues to inspire my path. I dedicate this opportunity to his memory, and to all our elders whose sacrifices paved the way for the realization of genuine autonomy,” Abdulrahman said.

As a proud Teduray, Abdulrahman said that he is deeply aware of the historical injustices and long-standing challenges faced by IPs in the region.

“With barely two months remaining in the transition period, I am fully committed to making every day count—responding to the urgent and legitimate needs of our Indigenous communities, and ensuring that they are never left behind,” he said.

He vowed to protect, promote, and empower the IPs and their rights in the BARMM. Abdulrahman also called on the concerned government agencies, civil society organizations, and grassroots communities to work alongside the MIPA “in advancing a more inclusive and dignified future for all Bangsamoro.” (Bong S. Sarmiento / MindaNews)