The Bangsamoro Parliament (; ) is the unicameral legislature of Bangsamoro, an autonomous region of the Philippines. It is currently led by the Bangsamoro Transition Authority, the region's interim governing body. The inaugural session of the Parliament was held on March 29, 2019. The first session of the first regular Bangsamoro Parliament is expected to convene in late 2026.
The Parliament consists of 80 members, known as members of parliament (MPs), who are currently appointed by the president of the Philippines. Under the current composition, 41 seats are held by nominees of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), while 39 are held by nominees of the national government.
The Bangsamoro Parliament succeeded the ARMM Regional Legislative Assembly, the legislature of the former Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.
History
The 1987 Constitution provided for the creation of an autonomous region in Muslim Mindanao comprising provinces, cities, municipalities, and geographical areas that share a common and distinctive historical and cultural heritage, socioeconomic structures, and other relevant characteristics according to the framework of the Constitution, national sovereignty, and territorial integrity of the Philippines.
On July 27, 2018, President Rodrigo Duterte signed Republic Act 11054, known as the "Organic Law for the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao," replacing the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) with the new Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao. It provided that the region would have greater fiscal autonomy, a regional government, a Parliament, and its own justice system.
Article VII, Section 2 of the Bangsamoro Organic Law states that:
The first Bangsamoro Parliament is an interim legislature headed by the Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA). The first set of members of the BTA took their oath on February 22, 2019. The effective abolishment of the precursor autonomous region, Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) took place following the official turnover of the ARMM to the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region occurred on February 26, 2019.
Pangalian Balindong was the first speaker of the Parliament, serving until his death from an undisclosed illness on October 2, 2025. He was succeeded by Mohammad Yacob on October 21, 2025. Sha Elijah Dumama-Alba served as the floor leader of the second interim Parliament until October 21, 2025, when she was elected one of the deputy speakers, and was succeeded by John Anthony Lim.
In the first interim Parliament, there was a majority leader (Lanang Ali Jr., an MILF nominee) and a minority leader (Laisa Alamia, a national government nominee), but these positions were scrapped in the second interim Parliament.
The first interim Bangsamoro Parliament had its inaugural session on March 29, 2019, and passed four resolutions, two of which involved the budget for the Bangsamoro region. The interim Bangsamoro Parliament's mandate was supposed to end on June 30, 2022, as per the Bangsamoro Organic Law, but this was extended to 2025 by law passed by President Rodrigo Duterte whose presidency ended on the same day the interim Parliament is supposed to be dissolved.
The second interim Parliament had its inaugural session on September 15, 2022. President Bongbong Marcos appointed a new set of members for the interim Parliament. The MILF nominees include people associated with the MNLF—eight from the Sema-Jikiri faction and seven from the Nur Misuari's faction. Misuari's group became part of the Parliament for the first time.
The 2026 parliamentary election, which elected members of the first regular parliament, resulted in a hung parliament, after the Bangsamoro Federalist Party topped the election, winning 31 seats, short of the number required to form a majority. The MILF-affiliated United Bangsamoro Justice Party placed second, winning 30 seats. The first regular parliament is expected to convene after October 30, 2026, when members formally assume office.
Seat
The Parliament first met at the auditorium of the Shariff Kabunsuan Cultural Complex located within the BARMM Complex in Cotabato City during the first interim Parliament from 2019 to 2022. Sessions were then regularly held at the Parliament Building, the former seat of the ARMM Regional Legislative Assembly, within the same complex since 2022.
The chamber's current design features traditional Islamic geometric patterns and cultural motifs, such as the okir. The speaker's rostrum has the Philippine national flag and the Bangsamoro flag on display, as per the Bangsamoro Organic Law.
On April 16, 2026, the four-storey Regional Assembly Building or the Sheikh Salamat Hashim Building was inaugurated. The building is meant to host committee hearings and policy deliberations of the Bangsamoro Parliament.
Membership As per law, the legislature should be composed of at least 80 members, who in turn are led by the speaker of the Parliament which was appointed from among the members of the legislature. Until June 30, 2019, 24 elective officials of the defunct Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao could have served as additional members.
40 percent of the Parliament seats are allotted to the representatives of Bangsamoro's parliamentary districts, although the districts are yet to be constituted. The Bangsamoro parliamentary districts will exist independently from the legislative districts used to determine representation in the national House of Representatives. Only the national Congress has the power to increase the composition of the Parliament.
There are also legal provisions to deter members of the Parliament to switch political party allegiance. Changing political party affiliation within the term of a member of Parliament would mean the forfeiture of their seat. Changing of affiliation within six months prior to a parliamentary election renders the person ineligible as a nominee of a political party seeking representation in the Parliament.
Allocation of seats The Bangsamoro Organic Law apportioned the seats of the Bangsamoro Parliament across eight provinces. However, following the exclusion of Sulu, the Bangsamoro Parliamentary Districts Act of 2025 which was approved on January 12, 2026, reapportioned the seven seats originally allocated to Sulu to the remaining provinces. + Allocation of seats (2026 elections)Type of seats of seats Election method80Party representatives40 Proportional representationDistrictsBasilan 432First-past-the-post (direct plurality)Lanao del Sur 9Maguindanao del Norte 5Maguindanao del Sur 5Tawi-Tawi 4Cotabato City 3Special Geographic Area 2Reserved and sectoral representativesNon-Moro Indigenous Peoples28Elected from within the Non-Moro Indigenous Peoples CommitteeSettlers2First-past-the-post (direct plurality)Women1Youth1Traditional leaders1Elected via a convention of the Bangsamoro Commission for the Preservation of Cultural HeritageUlama1Elected from within the 'Ulama Assembly
Committees As with most legislative bodies, the Parliament uses committees that are constituted to specialize in particular areas of concern and to carry out specific functions. They are responsible for making recommendations to the plenary and preparing reports on the disposition of bills, resolutions, and other legislative matters.
The following is a list of parliamentary and statutory committees, along with a sole special committee and their respective chairpersons as of the second interim Parliament: CommitteeChairpersonParliamentarycommitteesRulesJohn Anthony LimAccountsKhalid Hadji AbdullahEthics and PrivilegesAmiroddin GayakAmendmentsSittie Fahanie Uy-OyodGood Government, Accountability ofPublic Officers and Investigation (Blue Ribbon)Rasol Mitmug Jr.Ways and MeansAlirakim Munder SpecialcommitteeMarawi Recovery, Reconstruction, and RehabilitationSaid ShiekStatutorycommitteesFinance, Budget, and ManagementKitem KadatuanAgriculture, Fisheries, and Agrarian ReformMa-arouph CandaoBasic, Higher, and Technical EducationTomanda AntokTrade, Investment, and TourismAbdullah HashimLabor and EmploymentAlindatu PagayaoSocial Services and DevelopmentNurredha MisuariIndigenous Peoples’ AffairsRamon Piang Sr.HealthHashemi DilangalenTransportation and CommunicationsZulfikar-ali BayamPublic Order and SafetyButch MalangHuman Settlements and DevelopmentRomeo Sema Science and TechnologyIbrahim IbayPublic WorksJaafar Apollo Mikhail MatalamLocal GovernmentNaguib SinarimboEnvironment, Natural Resources, and EnergyMidtimbang TawakalBangsamoro Justice SystemSuharto AmbolodtoWomen, Youth, Children, and Persons with DisabilitiesAbrar Hataman
Current composition
Parliamentary groups + Composition of the Parliament as of June 28, 2026 Parliamentary group(nominating group) Seats Moro Islamic Liberation Front 38 National Government 38 Vacant 4
Leadership Office MP Affiliation(nominating entity) Speaker Mohammad Yacob Moro Islamic Liberation Front Deputy Speakers Nabil Tan National Government Omar Yasser Sema National Government Lanang Ali Jr. Moro Islamic Liberation Front Abdulkarim Misuari National Government Don Mustapha Loong National Government Laisa Alamia National Government Amenodin Sumagayan National Government Suwaib Oranon Moro Islamic Liberation Front Baintan Ampatuan National Government Ishak Mastura National Government Adzfar Usman National Government Sha Elijah Dumama-Alba Moro Islamic Liberation Front Jose Lorena National Government Floor Leader John Anthony Lim National Government Deputy Floor Leaders Raissa Jajurie Moro Islamic Liberation Front Rasol Mitmug Jr. National Government Suharto Esmael Moro Islamic Liberation Front Randolph Parcasio National Government Amer Zaakaria Rakim National Government Suharto Ambolodto National Government Naguib Sinarimbo National Government Secretary-General: Raby Angkal Sergeant-at-Arms: Abdulgani Caludtiag
Seal
The current seal of the Bangsamoro Parliament is in use since 2021 and its specifications is defined under Bangsamoro Autonomy Act No. 16. It is a circular symbol with a green, red, white, and yellow color scheme patterned after the Bangsamoro Flag and bears the name of the Parliament. Its central element is a shield bearing the Bangsamoro flag and is partially surrounded by a semicircle parliament diagram with 80 blocks signifying the number of seats in the Parliament. The book on top of the shield which represents the "living adherence of the Parliament to the rule of law," while the text "2019" represents the foundation year of Bangsamoro. The Bangsamoro Autonomy Act No. 16, as Parliament Bill No. 24 was passed by the Bangsamoro Parliament on January 19, 2021.
A previous version of the seal without the book and foundation year was used prior to the passage of the bill. The modified seal was formally adopted after the Chief Minister signed the bill into law on February 12, 2021.
Historical composition The following chart shows the historical composition of the Parliament after the beginning of every legislative period since the first interim Parliament in 2019.
Bangsamoro Transition Authority Parliament (since 2019) Total seats 1st BTA (Interim) Parliamentuntil June 30, 2019 40 35 31 106 from June 30, 2019 41 39 80 2nd BTA (Interim) Parliament 40 39 1
Notes
See also Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao Bangsamoro ARMM Regional Legislative Assembly Bangsamoro Youth Model Parliament
References
External links
Policy Research and Legal Services Department