COTABATO, Philippines – Former Commission on Elections (Comelec) chairman Sheriff Abas filed his certificate of candidacy on Wednesday morning, November 6, seeking a seat in the regional parliament of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).
Abas seeks to represent the 1st parliamentary district of Cotabato City, the regional center of the predominantly Muslim region, which has been allotted two seats in the BARMM parliament.
The move marks another milestone for Abas, the first Mindanaoan and first Muslim to serve as Comelec chairman. If he wins, he will be the first former Comelec chairman to become a member of the BARMM parliament.
He also set a record as the youngest to head the commission, nominated at age 38 by then-President Rodrigo Duterte in 2017, succeeding Andres Bautista.
Abas was the first Comelec commissioner to be elevated to chairperson. He initially joined as commissioner under the late former president Benigno Simeon Aquino III.
Confirmed by the Commission on Appointments in 2018, he served as Comelec chair until his mandatory retirement in 2022, alongside Antonio Kho and Rowena Guanzon.
A lawyer by profession, Abas is the nephew of BARMM Education Minister Mohagher Iqbal, a member of the interim Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA) and a former chief negotiator for the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF). – Rappler.com
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