Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 5) — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has appointed officers-in-charge (OIC) of the newly-created provinces of Maguindanao del Norte and Maguindanao del Sur, putting an end to the “confusion” over the local authority in those areas.
Malacañang said Marcos designated on Tuesday Abdulraof Macacua, Bangsamoro’s senior minister, as the OIC of Maguindanao del Norte, while Bai Mariam Mangudadatu, the governor of Maguindanao before it was split, was the OIC of Maguindanao del Sur.
Only Macacua was sworn in, according to the Presidential Communications Office on Wednesday, which shared photos of the Bangsamoro official taking the oath before Marcos.
‘3’: ‘image’: ‘jcr:26a2eebd-c91a-4571-baab-c3e1adef6bcc’ ‘imageCaption’: ‘Abdulraof Macacua, Senior Minister of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, takes his oath as the appointed officer-in-charge
\”President Marcos chose Mr. Macacua to lead Maguindanao del Norte as OIC as it organizes itself into a newly created province of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM),\” the PCO said.
As OIC, Macacua is tasked by the chief executive to \”maintain peace and stability in the region.\”
\”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,\” Malacañang added.
For the Offices of the Vice Governor, Marcos chose Bai Fatima Ainee Limbona Sinsuat as OIC in Maguindanao del Norte and Datu Nathaniel Sangacala Midtimbang as OIC in Manguindanao del Sur.
They have yet to take their oaths, the PCO said.
Malacañang said local chief executives in Maguindanao del Norte have previously called on Marcos to appoint an OIC in the newly-created province to put an end to the \”ongoing crisis that they said created confusion among provincial employees and residents.\”
\”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,\” it added.
The plebiscite in September last year ratified the Duterte-approved Republic Act 11550 dividing the province of Maguindanao. The division aims to help local officials “focus better” on addressing the needs of their constituents.
More than 99% of those who took part in the plebiscite voted in favor of the split.
In October last year, Mangudadatu, who won the gubernatorial seat in the May 2022 elections, assumed the leadership of Maguindanao del Sur, while Sinsuat, who won the vice governor position, took Maguindanao del Norte under her wing.
