Maguindanao del Sur, del Norte OICs take oath before Marcos

MANILA -- President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. on Friday administered the oath-taking of designated officers-in-charge (OICs) of Maguindanao del Norte and Maguindanao del Sur, seen as a symbol of "sincerity of all parties to push forward long-lasting peace and genuine progress in the newly-created provinces."

• Marcos names OICs of newly-created provinces Maguindanao del Norte, del Sur

Marcos earlier this month appointed Abdulraof A. Macacua and Bai Mariam S. Mangudadatu as acting governors of the Maguindanao del Norte and Maguindanao del Sur provinces, respectively. 

The President also appointed Bai Fatima Ainee Limbona Sinsuat and Datu Nathaniel Sangacala Midtimbang as acting vice governors of Maguindanao del Norte and Manguindanao del Sur, respectively. 

"With utmost respect, we deeply admired President Ferdinand R Marcos, Jr., for his sincerity, sense of fairness and determination in bringing a decisive and final resolution to the issues that were being confronted by the newly-created provinces," the Department of National Defense (DND) and Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation and Unity (OPAPRU) said in a joint statement.

In an earlier statement, Malacañang said appointing the OICs would "put an end to the ongoing crisis that they said created confusion among provincial employees and residents."

Under Republic Act 11550 signed by then President Rodrigo Duterte in May 2021, the division of the southern province into Maguindanao del Norte and Maguindanao del Sur will take effect after a plebiscite, which took place September last year. 

• Majority vote for split of Maguindanao province: Comelec

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