COTABATO CITY — Bangsamoro Chief Minister Abdulraof Macacua has defended the removal of former Education Minister Mohagher Iqbal from the interim regional government, asserting the move was lawful and necessary to safeguard public trust.
The issue took center stage during a May 23 RAGE Coalition rally in Davao City, where supporters of the Duterte political bloc questioned the legality of the decision, linking it to broader criticisms against the Marcos administration and the current Bangsamoro leadership.
Among the notable attendees was Mayor Yasser Ebrahim, son of former BARMM Chief Minister Al-Haj Murad Ebrahim.
In a May 18 letter to Iqbal, Macacua emphasized that cabinet positions in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) are co-terminous and rely entirely on the confidence of the Chief Minister.
"Your office as Minister of the Ministry of Basic, Higher and Technical Education is not a fixed-term position protected by tenure. It is co-terminous with the Chief Minister’s confidence," Macacua stated.
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Macacua maintained the action was not political persecution but a step toward upholding accountability ahead of the region’s first parliamentary elections in September 2026.
He disclosed that he had initially encouraged Iqbal to resign voluntarily to protect the regional government's image, adding that senior leadership of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), including Murad Ebrahim, were consulted beforehand.
While opposition groups have used the issue to challenge the current leadership, Macacua’s camp insists the decision is strictly about stable governance and sustaining public confidence.
For his part, Iqbal expressed respect for the transition and confirmed coordination regarding his departure, noting that his office is actively working with the Commission on Audit (COA) to finalize relevant reports.
