Marcos names OICs for Maguindanao del Norte, Maguindanao del Sur

President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. on Wednesday appointed officers-in-charge for the newly created provinces of Maguindanao del Norte and Maguindanao del Sur.

The Presidential Communications Office (PCO) said Abdulraof A. Macacua and Bai Mariam S. Mangudadatu were named OICs of Maguindanao del Norte and Maguindanao del Sur, respectively.

The PCO said Macacua took his oath before the President on Wednesday morning.

Marcos tasked Macacua to maintain peace and stability in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), a prerequisite for the development of the area and its people.

Prior to his latest appointment, Macacua served as Senior Minister for the Bangsamoro Transition Authority.

Meanwhile, Marcos also chose Bai Fatima Ainee Limbona Sinsuat as OIC of the Office of the Vice-Governor of Maguindanao del Norte and Datu Nathaniel Sangacala Midtimbang as OIC of the Office of the Vice Governor of Manguindanao del Sur.

Local chief executives in Maguindanao del Norte previously urged Marcos to appoint an OIC in the newly created province to put an end to the ongoing crisis that caused confusion among provincial employees and residents, the PCO said.

Former President Rodrigo Duterte signed into law a bill seeking to divide Maguindanao, which is part of BARMM, into two provinces.

Republic Act No. (RA) 11550 divided the province of Maguindanao into two distinct and independent provinces known as Maguindanao del Norte and Maguindanao del Sur.

Both provinces will have corporate powers and general powers that include having a common seal and having the power to create its sources of revenue and to levy taxes, fees, and charges among others. —Anna Felicia Bajo/KBK, GMA Integrated News