Maguindanao Norte OIC guv assumes office

COTABATO CITY – Maguindanao del Norte Officer in Charge Governor Abdulraof Macacua officially started organizing the provincial bureaucracy when he formally assumed office Tuesday.

Macacua, the military chief of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), challenged those opposed to his appointment by President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. to bring the matter before the Supreme Court (SC).

“Those questioning my appointment by the President, they can go to the SC,” he said during a news conference on Tuesday afternoon.

Macacua is a member of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao’s (BARMM) Bangsamoro Transition Authority, the region’s provisional lawmaking body.

Before he was appointed OIC governor, Macacua served as senior BARMM minister.

He pledged to push for "moral governance" that the MILF-led BARMM has been espousing in running the affairs of the provincial government.

Macacua, who carries the nom de guerre “Sammy Gambar,” promised to work right away so that the delays in the delivery of basic services and the salaries and wages of provincial government employees are addressed.

“We will make Maguindanao del Norte the best-performing province in terms of governance,” he said, noting that the newly-created province serves as the host local government entity of the BARMM regional government.

Macacua will temporarily hold office at the old office of the National Commission on Muslim Filipinos (NCMF) along Sinsuat Avenue in this city.  

“My administration will be anchored on transparency, accountability, and moral governance,” he said, adding that his office is open to reconciliation with other political leaders in the province who are “on the other side of the court.”

Macacua ignored social media posts questioning his appointment and capacity to lead the new province.

“If the SC says that I am not supposed to be here, I will voluntarily step down. No problem with that,” he said.

BARMM Chief Minister Ahod Ebrahim welcomed Macacua’s appointment, saying, “Maguindanao del Norte is in good hands.” (PNA)