The Moro National Liberation Front Executive Council of 15 (MNLF EC-15) is a faction of the

Moro National Liberation Front The Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF; ar, الجبهة الوطنية لتحرير مورو) is a political organization in the Philippines that was founded in 1972. It started as a splinter group of the Muslim Independence Movement. The ...

(MNLF) in which the group of 15 leaders forged a unity agreement with the

Moro Islamic Liberation Front The Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF; ar, ''Jabhat Taḥrīr Moro al-ʾIslāmiyyah'') is a group based in Mindanao seeking an autonomous region of the Moro people from the central government. The group has a presence in the Bangsamoro r ...

(MILF). The agreement was signed in Kuala Lumpur and coincided with the Filipino President's visit.

Muslimin Sema Muslimin Gampong Sema (born April 27, 1949), also known as Mus Sema, is a Filipino politician who is the current minister of labor and employment of the Bangsamoro autonomous region, Philippines since March 8, 2022. He has also been the former m ...

is the current chairman of the group. The government of the

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

recognizes Sema along with Misuari as representatives of the MNLF despite the recognition of

Nur Misuari Nur Misuari ( Tausug: ''Nūr Miswāri'', born Nurallaji Pinang Misuari; March 3, 1939) is a Moro Filipino revolutionary and politician, founder and leader of the Moro National Liberation Front. Early and Personal life Nur Misuari was born o ...

as chairman by the

Organisation of Islamic Cooperation An organization or organisation (Commonwealth English; see spelling differences), is an entity—such as a company, an institution, or an association—comprising one or more people and having a particular purpose. The word is derived from ...

, which the MNLF is an observer member to. Supposedly, Sema's group together with Habib Mudjahab Hashim's MNLF Islamic Command Council (ICC), somewhat agreed to reunite with the MNLF under Misuari.

History

After the arrest of

in Malaysia due to the failed rebellion in 2001, some members of the MNLF formed the Executive Council of 15 currently led by

. In April 2001, they voted to oust Misuari as leader of the MNLF led by former ARMM Governor Parouk Hussein. Some time later in 2008, Muslimin Sema has been elected as the chairman of the group. In 2017, former Sulu Governor

Yusop Jikiri Yusop (also Yusoph) Jikiri (1954 – 17 October 2020) was a Filipino politician, leader within the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) and governor (2001–2004) of Sulu Province in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM). He also served ...

became the new chairman until his death in 2020. Due to his death, Sema has been re-elected back as the Chairman.

Present

Currently, this faction supports the Bangsamoro Organic Law and currently allied with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front. As a result, some members have been appointed as members of the

Bangsamoro Transition Authority The Bangsamoro Transition Authority is the interim regional government of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region of the Philippines and has executive and legislative powers over the region. History With the ratification of the Bangsamoro Organic Law ...

by President Rodrigo Duterte. Notably, its members are Hatimil Hassan, Romeo Sema, Omar Yasser Sema, and Abdul Sahrin. On May 27, 2021, amidst the ongoing deliberation on the Bangsamoro Transition Authority Extension Bill filed at the Senate, the Executive Council of 15 launched an indignation rally due to lack of representation within the proposed bill. This faction also formed the

Bangsamoro Party The Bangsamoro Party (BAPA) is a political party based in Mindanao, Philippines, which is affiliated with the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF). History The Bangsamoro Party is a political party affiliated with the Moro National Liberation Fr ...

, the political party which will be used for future elections. On August 12, 2022, members of the EC-15 got reappointed with additional new members by President Bongbong Marcos into the

References

Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao Political party factions in the Philippines Presidency of Benigno Aquino III Executive Council of 15 {{Philippines-stub