Non-Moro IP groups screen nominees for BARMM parliament

Leaders from at least six non-Moro indigenous tribes in the Bangsamoro region are converging to nominate candidates for representation in the regional parliament. This crucial selection process is taking place ahead of the September 14 regional parliamentary elections.

Officials are urging the non-Moro indigenous groups to carefully select the most qualified individuals to fill the two seats designated for their communities within the 80-member Bangsamoro parliament. The identities of these favored representatives, chosen through nomination rather than a direct election administered by the Commission on Elections, will be announced on election day.

Several lawmakers, including Ishak Mastura, Naguib Sinarimbo, and Kadil Sinolinding Jr., have emphasized the importance of this selection. They stated that the Bangsamoro parliament serves as the appropriate venue for indigenous peoples' communities to propose plans and recommendations for how the regional government can better serve their constituents in their ancestral domains.

Preparations for the September 14 parliamentary polls are underway across BARMM's five provinces and three cities. Governor Mamintal Adiong Jr. of Lanao del Sur highlighted that strong representation for non-Muslim indigenous peoples in the parliament is vital for crafting laws that promote peace and sustainable development in their ancestral lands. He noted the historical significance of these communities in Mindanao.

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There would be no Muslim communities in the Bangsamoro region to talk about today if not for the non-Muslim indigenous communities in Mindanao that existed long before Islamic missionaries from what are now independent st