Macacua's new Cabinet to carry on moral governance agenda

COTABATO CITY — Bangsamoro Chief Minister Abdulraof Macacua said on Thursday that moral governance, which has guided the Bangsamoro Government since 2019, will remain the guiding principle of his administration. He made the statement as he presented the 19 officials who will make up his Cabinet.

Macacua announced the line-up less than a week after his election as Chief Minister. Seventeen of the appointees will lead ministries and two will head major offices. All were chosen from about 50 people who answered his open call for applicants.

As he read out the names, Macacua credited Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) Chairman Al Haj Murad Ebrahim with laying the foundation his team will build on.

"These people will help me run the affairs of the Bangsamoro Government anchored on moral governance as originally pushed by former (interim) Chief Minister, brother Ahod Balawag Ebrahim," he said.

Ebrahim led the interim regional government from 2019 to 2025. Throughout that time he made moral governance, a way of running government rooted in Islamic values and ethics, the mark of his leadership. He now holds a seat in Parliament as head of the United Bangsamoro Justice Party (UBJP).

Nine of the appointees are sitting Members of Parliament (MPs), nearly half the Cabinet. The group also includes eight lawyers and two engineers. Two of the 19 are women.

The line-up

The Senior Minister post went to MP Abunawas Maslamama, a leading member of the Bangsamoro Federalist Party (BFP). In his long years in the Bangsamoro struggle, he held several positions in the Bangsamoro Islamic Armed Forces (BIAF), the MILF's armed wing.

MP Naguib Sinarimbo will lead the basic, higher and technical education. He was central to organizing the BFP.

For the Ministry of the Interior and Local Government, Macacua chose Jordan Bayam, formerly of the Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation and Unity. Bayam first came on board in March 2025. That was when Macacua, newly appointed to replace Ebrahim as Chief Minister, convinced him to join the interim Cabinet.

MP Akmad Brahim returns to the Ministry of Environment, Natural Resources and Energy, which he headed during the transition years. He fought alongside Macacua in the BIAF and is one of the BFP's mainstays.

MP Rashdi Adiong, who represents a Lanao del Sur district, will lead the Ministry of Human Settlements and Development. He won his seat under the Serbisyong Inklusibo-Alyansang Progresibo Party, the BFP's partner in the parliamentary majority. He is a cousin of Lanao del Sur Governor Mamintal Alonto Adiong Jr.

MP Ishak Mastura will handle agriculture, fisheries and agrarian reform. He comes from a well-known Maguindanao del Norte family.

MP Jo Genna Jover, a leader of the Teduray community, will head the Ministry of Indigenous Peoples' Affairs. She has worked for years in social development and has long advocated for women and non-Moro indigenous peoples.

Abdullah Cusain will serve as Cabinet Secretary and Duque Kadatuan as Bangsamoro Attorney General.

The other ministers, grouped by sector:

• Social services: Alirakim Munder will lead social services and development, and MP Jimael Salam Salliman will lead health.

• Public order and safety: Datu Jomar Midtimbang.

• Economy and finance: MP Kitem Kadatuan Jr. takes labor and employment, Faizal Padate takes trade, investments and tourism, and Ubaida Pacasem takes finance, and budget and management.

• Infrastructure and technology: MP Hanie Bud will head science and technology, Termizie Masahud transportation and communications, and Basir Ibrahim public works.

The Bangsamoro Planning and Development Authority goes to Laisa Alamia, a lawyer who served as an MP in the transition years.

Screening of applicants

Before the appointments, a search and screening committee chaired by Bayam reviewed the applications. It assessed each applicant's skills, track record, integrity and ability to lead.
Bayam said the committee also checked whether each applicant supported the elected Chief Minister's agenda and was committed to practicing moral governance.