Abdulraof “Sammy Gambar” Macacua became the Bangsamoro region’s first elected chief minister on Friday, October 30, when the newly elected Parliament chose him to lead the autonomous government after seven years of interim rule.
Macacua won 51 votes in the 80-seat legislature, defeating former interim chief minister Ahod “Al Haj Murad” Ebrahim, who received 27 votes. One member abstained, and one was absent. Macacua took his oath at Parliament’s opening session in Cotabato City.
At the session, lawmakers also elected Amer Zaakaria Rakim as speaker. Parliament members were elected in the region’s first parliamentary poll on September 14. Seventy-nine members attended the opening session.
Their arrival marks a shift from the appointed Bangsamoro Transition Authority to a regular government led by elected representatives. The autonomous region, known as BARMM, was established in 2019 as part of a peace process involving the Philippine government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF). Macacua was a former chief of staff of the MILF’s armed wing.
He had served as interim chief minister since President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. appointed him in 2025. The new Parliament and its leadership are due to serve a five-year term. The chief minister leads the regional government, which is overseen by Parliament.