Historic representation comes amid long-running struggles over ancestral land, identity and political inclusion
Photo: ANFREL – Asian Network for Free Elections
PARANG, Maguindanao del Norte (August 31) — For six Non-Moro Indigenous Peoples (NMIPs) communities in the Bangsamoro, the selection of two representatives to the Bangsamoro Parliament is more than a step in the region’s first parliamentary elections—it is a test of whether Indigenous voices can gain meaningful space in a political system largely shaped by Moro representation.
Jo Genna Hover of the Teduray Indigenous Peoples and Leticio Datuwata of the Lambangian Indigenous Peoples were selected Tuesday as the two NMIP representatives to the Bangsamoro Parliament.
They were chosen from nominees representing six NMIP communities in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM): the Teduray, Lambangian, Dulangan Manobo, Erumanen ne Menuvu, Higaonon and Blaan.
Their selection comes as Indigenous communities continue to press for stronger recognition of their rights, particularly over ancestral domains, political participation, cultural identity and access to basic services.
The Bangsamoro Parliament is expected to provide a formal political platform for these concerns, although the challenge will be whether two representatives can effectively advance the interests of diverse Indigenous communities spread across the region.
During the Voter’s Education and Information Activity and Automated Counting Machine Roadshow in Cotabato City on Wednesday, Commission on Elections (Comelec) Chairperson George Garcia described the selection process as peaceful and accepted by the participating communities.
“Successful, tahimik at naging katanggap-tanggap sa lahat ng anim katutubo sa buong Bangsamoro,” Garcia said.
He said the two representatives would be proclaimed alongside the other winning parliamentary candidates after the Sept. 14 elections.
The first parliamentary elections in the BARMM are scheduled for Sept. 14, with 78 parliamentary seats up for election.
Garcia said the Comelec is targeting the proclamation of all winning candidates by Sept. 15.
More than symbolic representation
The selection of the two NMIP representatives gives Indigenous Peoples a guaranteed presence in the Bangsamoro legislature. But representation, by itself, does not automatically translate into political power.
The six communities have distinct histories, territories and concerns. Many Indigenous communities have long faced disputes involving ancestral land, displacement, resource extraction and access to government programs.
This makes the role of the two representatives particularly consequential: they will be expected not only to speak for their respective communities but also to navigate competing interests within a parliamentary government where NMIPs remain a small political bloc.
For Indigenous communities, the measure of representation will ultimately go beyond whether their representatives occupy seats in Parliament.
It will depend on whether those seats can help secure concrete action on ancestral domain claims, protect Indigenous territories and resources, strengthen culturally appropriate public services, and ensure that development programs do not come at the expense of Indigenous rights.
With the parliamentary elections approaching, the selection of Hover and Datuwata marks a significant political opening for the Bangsamoro’s Non-Moro Indigenous Peoples.
The bigger question now is whether that opening will translate into real influence over laws, budgets and policies affecting Indigenous communities across the region.
