New MILF political party office up, more members join

COTABATO CITY — A vice mayor belonging to a big Maranao clan and many others joined the United Bangsamoro Justice Party of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front during the inauguration of its newly-constructed headquarters building in Cotabato City on Sunday.

Vice Mayor Edna Ogka Benito of Balabagan, Lanao del Sur and other leaders from the area and from Maguindanao del Sur and Maguindanao del Norte then pledged allegiance to the UBJP in the presence of Bangsamoro Chief Minister Ahod Balawag Ebrahim and Regional Education Minister Muhaquer Mohammad Iqbal, both members of the MILF’s central committee.

The symbolic rite partly capped off the inauguration of the UBJP’s headquarters in Barangay Rosary 7 Heights, Cotabato City.

The UBJP first saw action during the candidacy of members for local positions during the 2022 elections.

In separate messages during Sunday’s inauguration of UBJP’s new headquarters, Ebrahim and Iqbal expressed gratitude to sectors continuously supporting the joint peacebuilding and local community empowerment thrusts of the leadership of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao and the national government.