COTABATO CITY — Former Chief Minister of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) Ahod Balawag Ebrahim has declined his appointment as member of its 80-seat parliament.

“I have decided to respectfully decline that appointment,” said Mr. Ebrahim, who was officially installed as BARMM’s chief minister in 2019 by then-President Rodrigo R. Duterte.

President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. Early this month designated Abdulrauf Abdul Macacua as the new BARMM chief minister, in place of Mr. Ebrahim, who is also chairman of the central committee of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).

Mr. Ebrahim finally acknowledged Mr. Macacua, who is also chief of MILF’s Bangsamoro Islamic Armed Forces on Monday in a congratulatory message dispatched to media outfits in Central Mindanao.

Mr. Macacua told reporters on Monday that he appreciates deeply the role of Mr. Ebrahim, the members of the regional parliament that he had led for five years, and all the ministers at the helm of different agencies in the autonomous region in setting up the facets for regional governance in the context of Moro autonomy together conceptualized by the MILF and the national government in two decades of peace talks.

Mr. Macacua said he will do his best to sustain the gains of the peace, security and development initiatives of Ebrahim, his predecessor.

Mr. Macacua said he is grateful to all members of the MILF, the civil society organizations and the international humanitarian and peace-advocacy entities helping the BARMM government foster peace and sustainable development in the Bangsamoro region.

The Bangsamoro region covers the provinces of Maguindanao del Sur, Maguindanao del Norte, Lanao del Sur, Basilan and Tawi-Tawi and the cities of Lamitan, Marawi and Cotabato, where its regional capitol is located. — John Felix M. Unson

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