Pro-Moro Christian governors cited for supporting BARMM's activities

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January 24, 2026 | 6:15pm

COTABATO CITY, Philippines — Regional officials took turns appreciating late Friday, January 23, the last day of the weeklong commemoration of the 7th anniversary of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, the cordiality with BARMM's Muslim communities of two Christian governors in Region 12.

BARMM’s chief minister, Abdulrauf Macacua, told reporters on Saturday that the two governors, Reynaldo Tamayo, Jr. of South Cotabato and Emmylou Taliño-Mendoza of Cotabato, whose provinces had armed Christian groups, called "Ilaga," meaning rat, that clashed with Moro secessionist forces in the early 1970s, are actively supporting the Bangsamoro government's public services activities in towns close to areas under their respective offices.

“We appreciate that. We are thankful to both of them. They don’t even have to do so because our peace and development initiatives are being implemented outside of their respective provinces,” Macacua said.

Rolly Aquino, who is overseeing the South Cotabato Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office based in Koronadal City, said Tamayo has emergency responders focused mainly in serving Moro communities in their province.

Bangsamoro Health Minister Kadil Sinolinding, Jr., who is also a member of BARMM’s 80-seat parliament, said the office of Taliño-Mendoza is helping them implement their medical missions in the 63 barangay in her province, now grouped together as the Special Geographic Area under the autonomous regional government.

The 63 barangays, now covered by eight towns established last year by the Bangsamoro parliament, originally belonged to different municipalities in Cotabato province in Region 12.

“Her office partly pays for the bills of patients from the 63 barangays confined in different hospitals in her province despite their being no longer her constituents,” Sinolinding said, referring to Taliño-Mendoza.

Bangsamoro Labor and Employment Minister Muslimin Sema, chairman of the central committee of the Moro National Liberation Front, said on Saturday that the pro-Moro Tamayo and Taliño-Mendoza are also helping the police and military reintroduce to mainstream society Moro violent religious extremists who have pledged allegiance to the government.

“These two governors are not anti-Moro and that augurs well with the peace overture of the national government with Moro communities in the autonomous region and in their provinces,” Sema said.

Sema and Macacua, who is also a member of the central committee of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, separately told reporters that Tamayo and Talino-Mendoza meet BARMM officials periodically for dialogues on governance, peace and security issues.

“For their being not anti-Moro, being not anti-Muslim, we are thankful,” Sema said.