Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, also known as BARMM, is a region of the Philippines, located in Mindanao. It has a population of 5,691,583 as of the 2024 Census, and a land area of 36,650.95 square kilometers.
The region is composed of the provinces of Basilan, Lanao del Sur, Maguindanao Del Norte, Maguindanao Del Sur, and Tawi-Tawi, and the independent city of Cotabato City. Its regional center is Cotabato City.
In the 2022 elections, the region had 2,588,193 registered voters.
Population
5,691,583 (2024)
4,404,288 (2020)
3,781,387 (2015)
3,256,140 (2010)
4,120,795 (2007)
2,803,045 (2000)
Registered voters
2,378,828 (2025)
2,588,193 (2022)
The ratification of the Bangsamoro Organic Law in 2019 paved the way for the creation of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), replacing the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM). BARMM is an autonomous region in the Philippines with its own regional government.
Since 2019, the Bangsamoro regional government has been led by the Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA), an interim body tasked with governing the predominantly Muslim region until its first parliamentary election.
The interim chief minister, a presidential appointee for now, heads the Bangsamoro government. But when the region finally holds its first election, the chief minister will not be directly chosen by the BARMM electorate. The position will be held by someone chosen by the region’s parliament, among its members.
Chief Minister
Abdulraof Macacua currently serves as the interim chief minister of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), having been appointed by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. in March 2025.
Before this appointment, he was the officer-in-charge (OIC) or acting governor of Maguindanao del Norte, a position he assumed in 2023 after Marcos appointed him to lead the newly created province.
Parliament Members
The BARMM parliament exercises the legislative powers in the region. It is composed of 80 members, including political party representatives, district representatives, and sectoral representatives. The distribution of parliamentary seats is 50% for regional political parties, 40% for district representatives, and 10% for sectoral representatives.
Presently, the legislative powers are being exercised by the interim BTA whose members are also presidential appointees. This will no longer be the case after the region holds its first parliamentary elections.
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