CM Ebrahim looks forward to progress, development with new Maguindanao OICs

COTABATO CITY — Bangsamoro Chief Minister Ahod B. Ebrahim positively welcomed the appointment of Officers-in-charge (OICs) for the provinces of Maguindanao del Norte and Maguindanao del Sur.

When asked for comment, Ebrahim said that at the heart of these appointments is the welfare of the people and the development of the two provinces. 

“I am taking this very positively and would like to express my sincerest gratitude to our president, His Excellency Ferdinand “Bong-Bong” Marcos Jr. for appointing the OICs. Finally, the appointed officials can now focus on what is really important - the welfare of the constituents and the continuous development of their respective provinces,” Ebrahim said. 

Meanwhile, the Ministry of the Interior and Local Government (MILG) of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) has shown so much faith in the recent appointment of Senior Minister Abdulrauf Macacua as the first-ever Officer-in-charge of the Maguindanao del Norte. 

In a statement, the MILG thanked President Marcos Jr., as the regional government welcomed the decision. 

"We welcome the appointment of Gov. Macacua and we thank the President for this opportunity to allow the MILF and the BARMM to showcase what potentials of synergy between the national govt, the BARMM and this new province," the statement said. 

Macacua, who is a senior official of the Bangsamoro Government and also a member of the regional parliament, took his oath before the country's top executive in Manila today, April 5, 2023.

MILG futher expressed its certainty that "Gov Macacua will exemplify the same comptence and compassion that he has shown in the BARMM and even during his leadership during the revolution". 

While family, colleagues, and whole of the Bangsamoro region celebrated the historic feat, the Office of the President on its press release said Macacua, as OIC, is "tasked by the President to maintain peace and stability in the region, a prerequisite for the development of the area and its people". 

"With the appointment of an OIC in Maguindanao del Norte, the Marcos administration expressed assurance that the province has an able and competent leader while still under the chief executive’s administration and guidance," the press release read. 

Republic Act No. (RA) 11550, signed by Duterte, divided the province of Maguindanao into two distinct and independent provinces known as Maguindanao del Norte and Maguindanao del Sur.

"Installing an OIC or an acting governor, they said, would end the confusion among local leaders and residents who wondered who to take orders from and whom to report to a few months after conducting the plebiscite," the press release further read. 

Along with Macacua's appointment, incumbent Governor of Maguindanao, prior to the plebiscite, Bai Mariam Mangudadatu will lead the  Maguindanao del Sur. 

Apart from Macacua and Mangudadatu’s appointments, the President also chose Bai Fatima Ainee Limbona Sinsuat as OIC of the Office of the Vice-Governor of Maguindanao del Norte, and Datu Nathaniel Sangacala Midtimbang as OIC of the Office of the Vice Governor of Manguindanao del Sur. (Abdullah Matucan/BIO with report from Office of the President)