BANGSAMORO Government Chief Minister Abdulraof Macacua on June 17 firmly responded to statements from certain civil society organizations (CSOs) questioning the legitimacy of his appointment, calling their claims speculative and divisive.
Macacua administered the oath of office for the governors-elect of Maguindanao del Norte and Maguindanao del Sur on the same day.
During the ceremony, he addressed the controversy, saying that although the statements came from outside the official political structure, they appeared to create division within the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) leadership — particularly between himself, former Chief Minister Ahod ‘Al Haj Murad’ Ebrahim, and senior MILF leader Mohagher Iqbal.
“Yesterday, there was a statement from civil society pointing out that the government was supposedly wrong in replacing Chief Minister Murad and appointing me,” Macacua said.
He questioned the involvement of CSOs in the internal affairs of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (Barmm).
“Sino ba ‘yang mga CSOs na ‘yan na papasukan tayo dito sa arrangement natin sa BARMM? Hindi lang nila alam kung ano ang pinagsamahan namin nina Kagi Murad at Iqbal — na kalalalim-lalim na pinagsamahan. Hindi pwedeng gawing ano dyan, so bakit mo papasukan ng ganun,” Macacua rhetorically asked.
He stressed that his bond with fellow MILF leaders is rooted in decades of shared struggle, trust, and brotherhood — far deeper than what external observers may understand.
“I hope we understand this, in order to arrest any negative speculation in the Barmm,” he added.
