BARMM polls: Scions of dynasties vie for Maguindanao del Sur seats

Maguindanao del Sur is witnessing a competitive election for parliamentary seats, with political dynasties vying for positions across its five districts. The province has 469,136 registered voters and 224 voting centers, with notable candidates including members of the Midtimbang family and other political figures. Key electoral races feature candidates from various political parties, including the United Bangsamoro Justice Party and the Bangsamoro Federalist Party, amidst a backdrop of historical political alliances and controversies. This is AI-generated. Read the article for full context. Report any errors. CEBU, Philippines – Members of Maguindanao del Sur’s political dynasties are competing for seats across the five parliamentary districts of the province in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM). Commission on Elections (Comelec) data as of May 8 showed that there are 469,136 registered voters in the province. There are 224 voting centers spread across Maguindanao del Sur’s 24 municipalities.Maguindanao del Sur is currently led by Governor Ali Musa Midtimbang whose family formed an alliance with the United Bangsamoro Justice Party (UBJP) during the 2025 local election. Ali’s nephew, Member of Parliament Tawakal Midtimbang, is running in the first district. The elder Midtimbang’s seat was previously held by Mariam Sangki Mangudadatu, the last governor of the once-undivided Maguindanao, whose relative is now vying for a seat in the Bangsamoro parliament through Maguindanao del Sur’s fourth district. The following are the electoral races happening in the province’s parliamentary districts: 1st District: Midtimbangs, Guindulungan and Talayan aspirants MAGUINDANAO DEL SUR 1ST DISTRICT RACE. Edres Kasim (top left), Mohammad Hassan Usop (center), Tawakal Buga Midtimbang (bottom left), and Bobby Midtimbang (bottom right). Photos from their Facebook. The first district covers the towns of Datu Anggal Midtimbang, Talayan, Guindulungan, Datu Hoffer Ampatuan, and South Upi. BARMM Member of Parliament Tawakal Midtimbang is running for the first district seat. He is the bet of the United Bangsamoro Justice Party (UBJP), the political arm of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF). Midtimbang is a former vice mayor of Guindulungan and the son of Datu Midpantao Midtimbang, a former member of parliament, former vice governor of Maguindanao and ex-mayor of Guindulungan. Datu Midpantao is the brother of former governor Ali Midtimbang. Tawakal is Ali’s nephew. Another Midtimbang is also running for the same position. Bobby Midtimbang is the first district bet of Al-Ittihad-Ungaya sa Kawagib Nu Bangsamoro (Al Ittahad–UKB) — the regional party of former Sultan Kudarat governor and Technical Education and Skills Development Authority chairman Suharto Mangudadatu. Suharto is Mariam’s husband. Challenging the Midtimbangs is Mohammad Hassan Usop from Guindulungan, the representative of the Bangsamoro Empowerment and Social Transformation Party (BEST Party). The BEST Party is led by Bangsamoro Ministry of Public Order and Safety Director General Al-Rashid Balt. Independent candidate Edres Kasim from Talayan town is also vying for the parliamentary seat. 2nd District: Ampatuan and Islamic scholar MAGUINDANAO DEL SUR 2ND DISTRICT RACE. From left: Shariff Saydona Mustapha Mayor Sajid Andre Ampatuan and Saad Sindatok. Photos from their Facebook. The second district includes the municipalities of Datu Piang, Datu Salibo, Datu Saudi Ampatuan, Datu Unsay, and Shariff Saydona Mustapha. The electoral competition is between UBJP bet Saad Sindatok and Bangsamoro Federalist Party (BFP) bet Sajid Andre Ampatuan. Sindatok is a former court interpreter and an Islamic scholar. He is the president of the Jamiat Cotabato and Institute of Technology. Ampatuan is the mayor of Shariff Saydona Mustapha and the son of former Maguindanao governor Sajid Islam Ampatuan who figured in several corruption scandals and was among the principals linked to the 2009 Maguindanao massacre. In December 2019, Ampatuan was acquitted in the murder of 58 people, including 32 journalists, in the Maguindanao massacre despite having prior knowledge of the murder plot. 3rd District: Engineer, ex-lawmaker, 2 Upams MAGUINDANAO DEL SUR 3RD DISTRICT RACE. Borgiva Tasmi Datumanong (top left), Daud Baknal Upam (top right), Ali Balayman Sangki (center), Habbas Sabpa Camendan (bottom left), and Datu Edo Mamasapano Upam (bottom right). Photos from their Facebook. The third district consists of the towns of Ampatuan, Datu Abdullah Sangki, Mamasapano, and Shariff Aguak. Habbas Sabpa Camendan, an engineer with a master’s degree in public administration, is vying for the district’s parliamentary seat. Camendan is carrying the banner of the UBJP. Borgiva Tasmi Datumanong, the son of the late Simeon Datumanong, former Maguindanao 2nd District representative, is running as an independent candidate. Borgiva previously served as a provincial board member of Maguindanao. Former member of parliament Ali Balayman Sangki, the bet of the Al Ittahad–UKB, is also in the electoral race. Sangki is a former Maguindanao provincial board member and former executive director of the previously-named Office on Muslim Affairs (now the National Commission on Muslim Filipinos). Bangsamoro Party (BAPA), led by Bangsamoro Minister for Labor and Employment Muslimin Sema, is fielding Datu Edo Mamasapano Upam, a member of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF). Upam’s father is Hadji Mohammad Upam, a former municipal councilor of Maganoy (now Shariff Aguak). Daud Baknal Upam, who is also from the prominent Upam clan, is running for the parliamentary seat. Daud is a former municipal councilor of Sharif Aguak and is the bet of the BFP in the third district. 4th District: Former village chief and Mangudadatu MAGUINDANAO DEL SUR 4TH DISTRICT RACE. From left: DJ Parok Mangudadatu and Aladen Katog Delna. Photos from their Facebook. The towns in the fourth district comprises Buluan, Datu Paglas, Mangudadatu, and Pandag. BAPA’s candidate for the fourth district is Aladen Katog Delna, a former barangay chairman of Upper D’lag in Pandag. Delna is up against BFP bet DJ Parok Mangudadatu, the son of Buluan Mayor Ibrahim Mangudadatu and the brother of Buluan Councilor Baby Dhats Mangudadatu. 5th District: Ex-mayor and former gubernatorial bet MAGUINDANAO DEL SUR 5TH DISTRICT RACE. Former General Salipada K. Pendatun mayor Rafsanjani Pendatun Ali. Photos from their Facebook. The fifth district consists of the municipalities of Pagagawan, General Salipada K. Pendatun, Pagalungan, Rajah Buayan, Sultan Sa Barongis, and Paglat. BFP bet Rafsanjani Pendatun Ali is going toe-to-toe with BAPA bet Nasser Guialal Dalgan for the district’s parliamentary seat. Ali is the former mayor of General Salipada K. Pendatun and the husband of incumbent General Salipada K. Pendatun Mayor Mielyn Ali. Dalgan, a resident of Sultan sa Barongis, ran for governor of Maguindanao but lost. In late August, the Comelec en banc canceled the certificate of candidacy (COC) of UBJP bet Anwar Salipada Alamada. According to Comelec, the candidate’s declaration of residency in his COC constituted false material representation. – Rappler.com