DAVAO CITY (October 15) — Forty-six of the Bangsamoro region’s 80 newly elected parliament members have formed a majority coalition, positioning themselves to shape the autonomous government’s legislative agenda and determine who will lead its first regular administration.
The lawmakers signed a coalition agreement in Davao City on Wednesday, Oct. 14, committing to work together on a shared peace and development roadmap for the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).
The meeting was attended by senior officials of the Bangsamoro Federalist Party (BFP), led by its president, Abdulraof Macacua, who is also the region’s outgoing interim chief minister.
The coalition draws members from different political parties, ethno-linguistic groups and organizations. More than 30 of its 46 members reportedly belong to the BFP, giving the party a substantial presence in the bloc.
Macacua said all 46 lawmakers signed the BARMM Government Coalition Document, which commits them to act as a unified parliamentary group.
“This coalition represents various political parties and ethno-linguistic groups and organizations that have come together to govern (the BARMM) under a shared vision of peace and prosperity for all residents in the Bangsamoro region,” Macacua said.
“We have agreed further that this majority bloc will form the Government of the Day in the Bangsamoro region.”
BARMM Local Government Minister Jordan Bayam said the lawmakers had agreed to establish a common framework for peace and development aimed at accelerating socio-economic growth and strengthening relations among Muslim, Christian and Indigenous non-Moro communities.
The coalition’s formation comes ahead of the transition from the interim administration to BARMM’s regular government following the region’s first parliamentary elections on Sept. 14. Macacua’s interim appointment, made by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. in March 2025, is due to end on Oct. 30.
Macacua was elected to represent a parliamentary district covering barangays in Cotabato City and Maguindanao del Norte province.
Officials from various Bangsamoro ministries have expressed support for his possible nomination as chief minister, saying his leadership has backing among different sectors in the region. However, the coalition’s formation does not, by itself, make him the next chief minister; the position must be filled through the parliamentary process.
Lanao del Sur Gov. Mamintal Adiong Jr., a senior official of the Serbisyong Inklusibo, Alyansang Progresibo Party, also expressed support for the coalition.
“We support this bloc,” Adiong said.
Majority numbers bring governing responsibility
With 46 members in an 80-seat parliament, the coalition has a numerical majority and could exercise considerable influence over the selection of the chief minister, the formation of the executive government and the passage of legislation.
But the bloc’s commitment to a shared peace and development agenda will ultimately be measured by what it delivers to communities across the Bangsamoro region.
Residents continue to look to the new government for improvements in basic services, livelihoods, infrastructure, peace and security, and access to public programs across BARMM’s five provinces and three cities.
The coalition must demonstrate that its cross-party agreement can translate into transparent decision-making, inclusive representation and measurable development results. Its members will also face the task of balancing party commitments with their responsibility to represent constituents who did not vote for the bloc’s candidates.
As the region moves toward its first regular parliamentary government, the central accountability question is whether the 46 lawmakers will use their majority to build a government that serves the wider Bangsamoro public—not merely to consolidate political power.
The coalition’s promised roadmap should therefore be made public, with clear priorities, timelines and measurable targets that residents can use to assess whether the new administration is delivering on its commitments to peace, inclusion and development.
