Abdulraof Macacua, a former Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) rebel commander better known by his nom de guerre Sammy Gambar, was elected the first regular chief minister of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) on October 30, 2026, marking the end of more than seven years of transitional governance.
In the inaugural session of the region’s first elected 80-member Parliament, Macacua secured 51 votes against 27 for former interim chief minister Ahod Balawag Ebrahim (also known as Al Haj Murad), the longtime MILF chairman.
One member abstained and one was absent, with 79 lawmakers present. The vote met the Bangsamoro Organic Law’s requirement of a majority of all 80 members (at least 41).
The election took place at the Shariff Kabunsuan Cultural Complex in the Bangsamoro Government Center. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. attended the opening and addressed the assembly before the leadership votes, pledging continued national government support.
Macacua took his oath of office before Bangsamoro Wali Sheikh Muslim Guiamaden. In the same session, Amer Zaakaria Rakim was elected Speaker with an identical 51–27 tally.
Macacua, who heads the Bangsamoro Federalist Party, had served as interim chief minister since March 2025 after being appointed by Marcos to succeed Ebrahim.
He previously held roles as senior minister in the Bangsamoro Transition Authority and acting governor of Maguindanao del Norte. A former chief of staff of the Bangsamoro Islamic Armed Forces (the MILF’s military wing), Macacua represents Maguindanao del Norte’s 3rd district.
The result closes the chapter of appointed interim rule that began when BARMM was established in 2019 under the 2014 Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro between the Philippine government and the MILF.
The region’s first parliamentary elections on September 14, 2026, recorded an 84.34 percent turnout (more than 2 million voters). No single party secured an outright majority of 41 seats, leading to coalition-building that produced Macacua’s winning bloc.
After the vote, Macacua pledged inclusive governance. “I guarantee all residents of BARMM—the Muslim, Christian and the non-Moro indigenous communities in the region—an inclusive kind of regional governance, one involving all of these three communities,” he said.
He also stressed that the Bangsamoro cause transcends individual differences and that the new government carries a shared responsibility for the region’s future.
The newly elected Parliament and executive now face the task of translating the peace settlement into effective day-to-day governance across BARMM’s five provinces and three cities, including unfinished legislative work such as a regional revenue code.
The regular government is expected to continue advancing the remaining elements of the peace process, public services, and development priorities under parliamentary oversight.
