MANILA — Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) Commander Abdullah “Bravo” Macapaar and community leaders from Lanao del Sur have filed a petition before the Supreme Court seeking to strike down Bangsamoro Autonomy Act No. 77, or the Redistricting Bill, arguing that it constitutes unfair gerrymandering designed to favor entrenched political dynasties.
The petition, filed alongside broad grassroots support, comes after hundreds of Bangsamoro residents staged a rally outside the Supreme Court carrying placards that read “FOR PEOPLE, NOT FOR POWER” and “DYNASTIES WIN WITH BARMM ACT 77.”
Earlier, Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA) Deputy Speaker Atty. Lanang Ali Jr. had also challenged the measure, warning that it violates constitutional principles and undermines fair representation ahead of BARMM’s first parliamentary elections in October 2025.
Although the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) has clarified that the measure will not apply until 2028, the petitioners insist that its very passage already undermines public trust in the electoral process.
Lingering Disputes Beyond Redistricting
The challenge to BAA 77 is only the latest flashpoint in a series of unresolved disputes straining relations within the MILF and between the group and the national government.
Civil society coalitions have warned that delays in the Normalization process under the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB) — including the decommissioning of MILF fighters, disbandment of private armed groups, and reintegration of former combatants — are eroding public confidence in the peace process.
The MILF itself, through Memorandum Order No. 037 issued on August 16, 2025, prohibited its commanders from attending government-led normalization activities without prior approval, effectively suspending the final phase of decommissioning 14,000 fighters. The move signaled frustration with what the MILF views as unilateral actions by the Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation and Unity (OPAPRU).
Further inflaming tensions, a Senate inquiry initiated by Senator Imee Marcos is now investigating government claims that over ₱4 billion has been released for combatants’ reintegration. MILF leaders counter that despite years of pledges, “not a single one” of the decommissioned fighters has been meaningfully transitioned into productive civilian life.
Editorial Perspective: A Movement at a Crossroads
What was once a united front fighting for self-determination has increasingly fractured.
On one side, MILF Chairman Al-Haj Murad Ebrahim and now Commander Bravo have aligned with those resisting the Redistricting Bill, casting themselves as defenders of the people’s voice against political maneuvering. On the other, Chief Minister Abdulraof Macacua and his allies are seen as more closely aligned with the government, supporting measures that critics say compromise the integrity of both the peace process and democratic reforms.
The result is a visible and widening divide within the MILF.
This is not just an internal power struggle. At stake is the credibility of the peace process itself — already weakened by stalled normalization, delayed socio-economic support for ex-combatants, and growing disillusionment in conflict-affected communities.
The Supreme Court’s decision on BAA 77 will undoubtedly shape the future of Bangsamoro’s democratic experiment. But equally critical is the question of whether the MILF, once the singular voice of Moro armed struggle, can survive this test of unity.
If the movement fractures beyond repair, the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region may enter its first parliamentary elections in 2025 with not just contested districts, but a contested identity.
The peace agreement promised transformation. Instead, the Bangsamoro now faces a moment of reckoning: Will it be a story of unity through struggle, or division through politics?