COTABATO CITY (October 2) — The Bangsamoro Federalist Party (BFP) is claiming it has secured enough support to form a majority in the first elected Parliament of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), setting the stage for a possible BFP-led regional government.
BFP spokesperson Naguib Sinarimbo said the party has the numbers to organize the 80-member Parliament and support its chairman, Interim Chief Minister Abdulraof “Sammy Gambar” Macacua, for Chief Minister when the new Parliament assumes office on Oct. 30.
The claim comes despite the BFP holding only 31 seats, short of the 41 needed for a parliamentary majority.
The United Bangsamoro Justice Party (UBJP) won 30 seats, while the BARMM Grand Coalition (BGC) secured 15. The remaining seats are held by smaller political and sectoral groups whose support could determine the final governing coalition.
The election therefore left no party with enough seats to govern alone, making coalition-building a central test for the Bangsamoro’s transition to its first fully elected parliamentary government.
For communities across the BARMM, the negotiations are not simply about who gets to lead Parliament. The coalition that emerges will shape the region’s first regular government and determine how political groups work together on budgets, public services, development programs and the implementation of the Bangsamoro government’s priorities.
Basilan Governor Mujiv Hataman of the BGC said political groups do not have to agree on everything to work together for the welfare of the Bangsamoro.
The incoming Parliament will have to organize its leadership, choose the first elected Chief Minister and form the new Cabinet. It will also face the immediate task of acting on the 2027 regional budget.
Macacua, who currently serves as interim chief minister, is the BFP’s candidate for the top executive post.
With no party holding an outright majority, the coming weeks will test whether the BFP can turn its claimed alliances into an actual parliamentary majority — and whether the emerging coalition can translate election-day alliances into a functioning government for the Bangsamoro.
