The leadership of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) expressed displeasure with Ferdinand Marcos Jr for appointing Abdulraof Macacua as the new interim chief minister of the Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA). Its Central Committee said Marcos did not consult them and bypassed its recommendation to retain the current chief minister Ahod Ebrahim (Al Haj Murad). Macacua, who is also an MILF leader, is closer to the Marcos regime.

Marcos ordered Murad’s appointment as merely one of 80 regional representatives, which Murad turned down. Murad was appointed to the BTA in 2019 by then president Rodrigo Duterte. He is the current leader of the MILF and commander-in-chief of the Bangsamoro Islamic Armed Forces, the armed wing of the MILF.

The Marcos regime’s blatant interference in MILF’s internal processes violates the final peace agreement enacted as the Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL). This tramples on provisions stipulating the group’s “principle of autonomy.” This law was passed during the Aquino regime but remains incompletely implemented as the first elections for forming an autonomous Bangsamoro government have yet to be held.

Marcos’ appointment of only 34 out of 41 MILF members to the BTA also violates the BOL. The BOL states that the BTA should primarily be led by the MILF, secondarily by forces from the Moro National Liberation Front, and third by non-Moro indigenous peoples. The MILF lost its majority position when Marcos replaced 70 of its members on March 3.

Marcos’ interference in the BTA is undermining the credibility of MILF leadership. By disregarding and rejecting MILF’s recommendations, Marcos has effectively stripped the MILF of its right to lead the BTA, which now governs BARMM. This also erodes the Moro people’s trust in the peace process.

Disregarding the provisions in the BOL demonstrates the duplicity of the Government of the Philippines, particularly that of the Marcos regime, in the agreements it entered during peace negotiations.