Former Defense Secretary Norberto Gonzales alleged that an administration-backed candidate tied to the Office of the Special Assistant to the President is at the center of mounting tension ahead of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) elections, warning that both the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) are protesting what they perceive as government manipulation of the electoral process.
Gonzales raised the allegation during the National Defense College of the Philippines Alumni Association Inc. Annual Defense Forum, aired on DZRH News program Special on Saturday on June 27, describing the level of unrest as potentially comparable to the period when armed conflict with Muslim groups first began.
“Medyo very troubled ang BARMM elections ngayon. I think the intensity of the trouble can be comparable to the time when the war started with the Muslims. Hindi ko lang alam kung magigiyera ulit o hindi, but the intensity of the protest has to be taken well into consideration,” Gonzales said.
He cited a recent demonstration in Cotabato involving approximately 400,000 Moro participants as evidence of the scale of discontent, calling the turnout monumental for the region.
“Alam mo ang nagrereklamo ay yung MNLF at tsaka yung MILF. Both of them are now complaining. I think if you look at last week, about 400,000 Moros marched in their streets. 400,000 is monumental in a place like Cotabato, but they were there at nagrereklamo,” Gonzales said.
Gonzales alleged that the MILF and MNLF believe the incoming elections are being manipulated in favor of a group aligned with Malacañang, claiming the move could effectively sideline figures such as Bangsamoro Chief Minister Ahod Ebrahim, also known as Al Haj Murad Ebrahim.
Asked directly whether the alleged administration-backed candidate was tied to the Office of the Special Assistant to the President, and whether this was causing trouble for the national government, Gonzales answered “Yes” to both questions, though he did not identify the official or the candidate by name.
“Kailangan mag-dialogue nang husto. We have a new OPAPRU. Call the leadership of the MNLF and the MILF,” Gonzales said, proposing dialogue between the government and the two groups as the path forward, alongside giving the Bangsamoro people what he called “a free hand” to choose their own leaders without outside interference.
Gonzales clarified that he was not proposing to suspend the elections themselves, but rather to set aside the usual political maneuvering that typically accompanies Philippine elections, allowing the three major contenders in the race to compete on equal footing.
He said the source of friction stems from a long-standing rivalry between the MNLF and MILF over representation in the Bangsamoro government, a divide he traced back to negotiations during the administration of former President Corazon Aquino that he said failed to reconcile the two groups before peace agreements were pursued.
Gonzales stressed that he believes the Bangsamoro people are capable of electing their own legitimate leaders, and that doing so should be treated as a matter of national interest.
