BARMM parliament appoints ceremonial head of gov’t

NEW ROLE Sheikh Muslim Guiamaden (middle), the new Wali of the Bangsamoro government, takes a place above the seats of interim Chief Minister Ahod “Al Haj Murad” Ebrahim (left) and Parliament Speaker Pangalian Balindong at the opening of the third session of the regional legislature on Tuesday. —Bangsamoro Parliament photo

COTABATO CITY, BARMM, Philippines — At past 1 p.m. on Tuesday, amid the gathering of 80 members of parliament of the Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA), Sheikh Muslim Guiamaden beat the gong to signify the official start of the interim body’s third regular session.

A day earlier, in a special session by the BTA on Monday presided by Deputy Speaker Omar Yasser Sema, the parliament approved a resolution appointing Guiamaden, 59, as the “Wali” or ceremonial head of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).

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Guiamaden is a member of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), having served as among the jurists of the erstwhile rebel group’s Shariah Supreme Court then based in Camp Abubakar Assidique in what is now Maguindanao del Norte.

Most of the leaders of MILF now occupy key posts in BARMM’s ministries and as members of the BTA following a peace accord with the government in 2014 that led to the creation of the Bangsamoro region and its interim governing body in 2019. Guiamaden has represented the MILF in an international event in Qatar where the issue involving the plight of Muslims in the Southern Philippines was discussed.

Born on Sept. 20, 1963, in Buluan town of Maguindanao del Sur, Guiamaden graduated from the Jamiah Islamiyah (Islamic University) of Madinah Munawwara, a public Islamic university in Medina, Saudi Arabia. He underwent military training in Pakistan.

There were two nominees for Bangsamoro Wali but the other nominee, Dr. Muhammad Nadzer Ebil, begged off and expressed his support for the appointment of Guiamaden.

Based on the Bangsamoro Organic Law, the charter of the BARMM, the Wali is the ceremonial head of the regional government. His duties will include inaugurating parliament sessions, administering oaths of office and attending public events.

Moreover, the Wali holds essential powers such as dissolving the parliament, upon the Chief Minister’s advice, in the event of a vote of no confidence against the government; and calling for new elections.

Guiamaden will serve a fixed six-year term.

The first Bangsamoro Wali, Sheikh Khalifa Nando, died on Feb. 6, 2023, at 82. He was among the founders of the MILF.