BARMM Interim Chief Minister Macacua sworn in as BFP chair
KABUNTALAN, Maguindanao del Norte (MindaNews / 15 August 2026) — Abdulraof “Sammy Gambar” Macacua, Interim Chief Minister of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, has been sworn in as chair and president of the Bangsamoro Federalist Party (BFP).
Macacua’s assumption of the post followed his formal oath-taking Sunday as a BFP member during the party assembly in Barangay Gambar of this town, which is considered his stronghold.
The event was organized by his supporters from the Bangsamoro Islamic Armed Forces (BIAF), military arm of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) of which he was the chief of staff.
Thousands of BIAF members and supporters attended the event, including contingents headed by Environment Minister Akmad Brahim and Agriculture Minister Abunawas “Von Al-Haq” Maslamama.
Local government officials and supporters from various areas were also in attendance.
In May, Macacua, through his son Jamael Macacua, filed his candidacy as an independent candidate for representative of the third district of Maguindanao del Norte.
On June 3 this year the MILF Central Committee “indefinitely suspended” Macacua as BIAF chief of staff, citing “repeated acts of defiance, insubordination, and conduct deemed prejudicial to the unity, discipline, and integrity of the organization.”
The friction between Macacua and the MILF leadership dates back to March last year, when the national government appointed him as interim chief minister, replacing Ahod Balawag “Murad” Ebrahim, who is also the MILF chair.
Macacua’s entry into the BFP came a month before the first Bangsamoro parliamentary elections on September 14.
Macacua has held various posts in the Bangsamoro government — Senior Minister, Executive Secretary, Environment Minister, and governor of Maguindanao del Norte — before his tenure as Interim Chief Minister.
His entry into the BFP leadership is expected to bolster the party’s political machinery and broaden its grassroots support across Bangsamoro communities as the region transitions from the appointed Bangsamoro Transition Authority to its first elected Parliament.
The BFP positions itself as an inclusive regional political party uniting former revolutionaries, members of Parliament, local chief executives, and representatives across various sectors and Bangsamoro communities. (Ferdinandh Cabrera/MindaNews)
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