ZAMBOANGA CITY (March 31) — With the first regular Bangsamoro parliamentary elections now set, the Bangsamoro Peoples Party (BPP) is moving early — and aggressively — to lock in its ground.
In a show of force, the party gathered hundreds of delegates and local power brokers in Lamitan City, Basilan on March 28, staging what it calls a “decisive consolidation” of its base and a strategic launchpad for the September 14, 2026 polls.
The timing is no accident. The elections were formalized under Republic Act 12317, signed by Ferdinand Marcos Jr., setting the stage for the first regular parliamentary vote in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).
Basilan is emerging as a key battleground — and the BPP is anchoring its campaign there. The party elevated former MP Ustadz Alzad Sattar as chairman and Lamitan Vice Mayor Hegem Furigay as vice president for the settler community, signaling a deliberate push to bridge political and demographic lines.
At the center of the movement is Basilan Governor Mujiv Hataman, the party’s founding convenor, who framed the assembly as more than a numbers game.
“We are organizing a movement that ensures every voice — from indigenous communities to settler populations — is heard in the halls of Parliament,” Hataman said.
Behind the rhetoric is a clear strategy: position the BPP as the region’s most cohesive reform bloc, capitalizing on calls for transparency and inclusive governance in the post-transition Bangsamoro.
Party secretary-general Ras Mitmug Jr. said the assembly also served as a working session, preparing members to navigate the revised Bangsamoro Electoral Code — a crucial step as parties shift from transition governance to full electoral competition.
With months to go before September, the Bangsamoro Peoples Party is betting that early consolidation — and control of local strongholds like Basilan — will translate into parliamentary seats. But as more blocs mobilize across BARMM, the real test will be whether organization on paper converts into votes on the ground.
