By: Hannah Beatrisse L. Oledan & Jade Veronique V. Yap
International Alert Senior Peace and Conflict Adviser Francisco Lara Jr., journalist Christian Esguerra and Institute for Autonomy and Governance Executive Director Benny Bacani discusses “should MILF-led Bangsamoro region seek poll mandate in 2022?” (Photograbbed from FactsFirst with Christian Esguerra Podcast)
The Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) has a high chance of securing political legitimacy by winning the Bangsamoro regional elections in 2022, a peace and conflict adviser said.
International Alert Senior Peace and Conflict Adviser Francisco Lara Jr. said in a “Facts First” podcast episode that the former rebel group needed to secure a popular mandate to be able to stand up to political leaders within the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).
“[I] still think they stand a strong chance of winning that election if they were to run and they need it really to strengthen the source of [their] legitimacy,” Lara told journalist Christian Esguerra.
“They need to deal with Cynthia Guiani…they need to deal with Abdusakur Tan to show that ‘Hey, we are elected by the majority of Bangsamoro, we have the right to be here in office,’” he said, referring to the mayor of Cotabato City and the governor of Sulu, respectively, both staunch critics of the MILF leadership.
Institute for Autonomy and Governance Executive Director Benny Bacani said many local government leaders felt excluded under the current setup of the Bangsamoro Transition Authority, the interim government of the BARMM that has executive and legislative powers.
“I think it has to do also with the fact that the electoral code has not been even drafted and that’s a source of instability,” he said during the podcast.
The MILF got the upperhand in the transition government under the 2018 Bangsamoro Organic Law that was passed four years after the rebels sealed a historic peace deal with the government.
MILF chief Murad Ebrahim last year called for an extension of the transition period amid the pandemic.
Bacani said extending the term of the BTA would also move the regional elections to May 2025 to coincide with the national and local elections, which, he said, would be “very political” and “very controversial.”
“So the main point there is what are we really extending? And why are we resetting the elections?” he asked.
President Rodrigo Duterte has expressed support for extending the region’s transition period until 2025, which will have to be decided by Congress.