Last weekend, speculations flew thick and fast about a possible major political development in the BARMM in the run-up to the first parliamentary election of 2025. “Marites” or rumor mongers had a field day guessing what it was. Social media in the BARMM went on overdrive. The trigger was the memorandum of the BARMM to the local chief executives to attend the caucus called by the Office of the President. When the OP calls you have to drop everything. The Muslim politicos flocked to Manila.

The timing, according to armchair analysts, was suspect. It came on the heels of a major political event — the resignation of Vice President Sara Duterte as Secretary of the Department of Education and Vice Chair of the NTF-ELCAC. This formalized the break-up of the touted Unity Team which was principally responsible for the victory of the Bongbong Marcos-Sara Duterte tandem. The tremors of the falling out were felt even in the remotest barangays. And the administration’s political think tank anticipated a possible backlash that would need an immediate preemptive move.

The President’s men know that the BARMM is a gold mine, nay, the mother lode of voters. It is where the so-called “command votes” started, the reason why political dynasties remain durable and resilient. They have not forgotten the fact that most BARMM politicians were beneficiaries of favors from the past administration, the most important of which were the institutionalization of the autonomy, the appointment of top officials, and the extension of the terms of office of members of the Bangsamoro Transition Authority which saved them from the messy and expensive process of submitting to an election. The support and loyalty of these politicians to Duterte patriarch Digong are deep and steadfast. And with the exit of VP Sara from the Marcos Cabinet, they might be affected by the disenchantment.

Analysts opined the call to Malacañang was more of a loyalty check. The Palace wanted to be assured that support for the President’s policies and for his anointed candidates in the 2025 all the way to the 2028 elections would remain constant and unaffected by the shifting loyalties of national politicians.

Did the President tell the politicians to shift party affiliations and join his party, the Partido Federal ng Pilipinas? No, he didn’t. Not directly in those words. But the body language of the President and his men betrayed their intention. The scenario or picture circulated in social media spoke volumes.

There was a picture of the President with the local chief executives. Nothing wrong with that. But what intrigued the public was the presence of an “odd man,” Gov. Jun Tamayo, president of the PFP, in the picture. The province of Governor Tamayo, South Cotabato, is not in the BARMM, hence, he should not have been at the meeting. Was there a backdoor negotiation for the local chief executives to affiliate with the PFP?

Those who attended were tight-lipped. But we cannot discount the possibility. Every commentary though fell within the realm of speculation. The only problem with that scenario is the fact that the PFP is not a regional party and therefore theoretically not allowed by law to participate in the parliamentary election.

But no problem. This prohibition could easily be circumvented. They can file their Certificates of Candidacy (CoC) as members and nominees of regional parties, for example, of SIAP, or the Samahang Inclusibo Alyansang Progresibo, which appears to be a numerically dominant party, without mentioning their membership in a national party, the PFP.

They must refrain from writing in their CoCs that they are members of the PFP. Meaning they are SIAP members for purposes of the regional parliamentary election but PFP members nationally. Under this arrangement, they can have access to the fringe benefits and advantages of administration candidates.

Why is this important? Not only would the wherewithal and resources of the PFP be available to them but also the influence of the administration over the government agencies manning the electoral process. And as a bonus they would be perceived by voters to be Palace-anointed candidates, which historically in the BARMM is a major factor for victory at the polls. Optics influence elections. Touché, isn’t it?

amb_mac_lanto@yahoo.com