COTABATO CITY, BARMM, Philippines — A formal petition to disqualify three incumbent Members of Parliament (MPs) of the Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA) as nominees of the Bangsamoro Federalist Party (BFP) was filed before the Commission on Elections (Comelec) Bangsamoro Registration and Accreditation Committee (Brac).
The petition is dated May 15, 2026, a copy of which was obtained by the Inquirer on Wednesday.
The petition, docketed as SPA No. 26-002, accuses Suwaib L. Oranon, Dan S. Asnawie, and Sheik Mohidin M. Usman of violating the Bangsamoro Electoral Code (BEC) by maintaining dual party membership. It claims that they took an oath as BFP members on March 7, 2026, while still being active officers and members of the United Bangsamoro Justice Party (UBJP)—the political arm of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).
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It was alleged that the three submitted no letter formally stating their resignations.
Core allegation
Petitioner Haron Suraik Budzal, a registered voter from Barangay Macaguiling in Sultan Kudarat, Maguindanao del Norte, argues that the respondents violated the six-month rule on party affiliation changes under Comelec Resolution No. 11293 and the Bangsamoro Electoral Code.
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According to the 8-page petition, the respondents filed Certificates of Acceptance of Nomination with Affidavit of Non-Affinity for the BFP, in the process declaring that they had not changed party membership in the last six months.
Budzal, however, cited official UBJP records allegedly showing the three remain bona fide members and even hold high-ranking positions in the party.
Budzal further noted that the three had no written resignation submitted to the UBJP leadership or notified the Bangsamoro Electoral Office (BEO). That makes their BFP oath an act of double membership and turncoatism, he asserted.
The petition cites Supreme Court precedents emphasizing that political party affiliation is determined by official records, not personal declarations, and that formal resignation is required to effect a valid change.
All three respondents are current BTA members. Oranon is BFP’s first nominee for party representative, Asnawie fourth, and Usman 25th.
The petition was filed amid deepening factional tensions within the MILF and BARMM politics.
The UBJP has long been positioned as the MILF’s sole political vehicle. The rise of the BFP, widely regarded as aligned with interim Chief Minister Abdulraof Macacua and other figures, has fueled accusations of party-switching and dual loyalty ahead of the long-delayed 2026 Bangsamoro parliamentary elections.
The petition remains pending before the Comelec Brac. No immediate comment has been issued by the respondents or the BFP as of this writing. /cb
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