BetterBARMM
A low green island ringed by a pale sandbar in turquoise water under a wide sky.

A Bangsamoro primer

Get to knowthe Bangsamoro.

Before the budgets, the bills, and the ballot papers — the region itself. Six centuries of history, thirteen Moro peoples, a parliament of eighty, and the islands, lakes and mosques in between. Sourced throughout, and free to check.

5 chapters

5 chapters · 17 moments · 20 peoples

Ervin Malicdem · CC BY-SA 4.0Photo by Ervin Malicdem, CC BY-SA 4.0. Open the source file.

Meranao, Maguindanaon, Iranun, Yakan, Tausug, Sama, Sama di Laut, Jama Mapun, Kagan, Kolibugan, Sangil, Molbog, Palawanon, Teduray, Lambangian, Manobo Dulangan

01Where to start

Five chapters.Read them in any order.

Each one is a plain-language guide with its sources attached — written for someone arriving with no background at all.

01HistoryA plain-language path from identity and peace talks to the Bangsamoro Organic Law and BARMM transition.17 momentsSultanatesPeace processOrganic Law02GovernmentHow Parliament, the Chief Minister, ministries, and public offices fit together.ParliamentChief Minister33 institutionsMinistries03PeopleMeet the Moro, Indigenous, and settler communities that shape Bangsamoro public life.13 Moro groupsIndigenous peoplesSettlersLanguages04Culture & PlacesA starting map of mosques, sacred sites, islands, food, textiles, and living heritage.MosquesIslandsFoodTextiles05Local GovernmentThe ladder of local government units inside BARMM, what is elected at each rung, and where to look up the officials.2,180 barangays108 cities and townsDemographicsServices
02The region, in figures

One region.Eighty seats.

BARMM is the only autonomous region in the Philippines with its own parliament. On September 14, 2026, its voters elect all 80 members for the first time — 40 by party, 32 by district, and 8 reserved for sectors the Organic Law names. That Parliament then chooses the Chief Minister.

District seats by constituency

32 of 80

Lanao del Sur9
Maguindanao del Norte5
Maguindanao del Sur5
Basilan4
Tawi-Tawi4
Cotabato City3
Special Geographic Area2

Sulu is not on this list. The Supreme Court excluded it from BARMM, so it is not a constituency with no seats — it is no longer part of the region. Seat figures come from the BetterBARMM election dataset, which carries the COMELEC and Parliament records behind each one.

Rows of blue desks with monitors facing a green and gold rostrum in the Bangsamoro parliament session hall.
Bangsamoro Parliament · Public domainPhoto by Bangsamoro Parliament, Public domain. Open the source file.
Go deeperThe 2026 Election workspace

20

Peoples

Moro, Indigenous, and settler communities documented by BCPCH.

17

Moments

From the sultanates to the first regular parliamentary election.

33

Institutions

Ministries, commissions, and offices mapped in plain language.

5

Chapters

History, government, people, and the places that hold them.

03Two ways in

Start anywhere.

The green and gold façade of the Sheik Karimul Makhdum Mosque, its domes topped with crescents.
Start at the beginningHow BARMM came to beRead the timeline
Deputy Speaker Laisa Alamia standing at the rostrum presiding over a session of the Bangsamoro Parliament.
Already know the region?The 2026 Election workspaceParties, candidates, districts
04In pictures

The region,as it looks.

Every photograph here is public domain or openly licensed, and names its photographer. Open one for the full frame and its source file.

05Before you cite this

This is a starting point,not the last word.

Discover BARMM is written for readers who want context before opening a budget line or a bill. It is deliberately plain, and it points at official sources rather than replacing them — names, figures, and office-holders change, and the official page is always right where we are wrong.

Some of what is here is contested history, told by people who lived different sides of it. Where an account is disputed, this guide says so rather than picking a winner. If something is wrong, out of date, or missing, the correction is welcome and the source is what settles it.

Keep it honest

Found somethingwe got wrong?

Names, figures, and office-holders change. Where this guide differs from an official page, the official page is right — and the correction is welcome.