Ched Rick Gatchalian

Pangalian Balindog. Photo from Bangsamoro Transition Authority website

Article (news)

Bangsamoro Parliament Speaker Pangalian Balindong passes away at 85

Lerio Bompat

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1759385499877BALINDONG-PANGALIAN-M.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">Pangalian Balindog. <em>Photo from Bangsamoro Transition Authority website </em></span></span></span></div><div><br/></div><p>COTABATO CITY – The Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) on Thursday announced the passing of Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA) Parliament Speaker Pangalian Macaorao Balindong, who died at the age of 85.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/regions/2025/8/10/comelec-still-waiting-for-bangsamoro-parliamentary-to-resolve-sulu-issue-ahead-of-barmm-polls-2117">Comelec still waiting for Bangsamoro Parliamentary to resolve Sulu issue ahead of BARMM polls</a></div><p>Fellow lawmakers expressed their sympathy and honored his decades of service to the Bangsamoro people.</p><p>BARMM Interim Chief Minister Abdulraof Macacua also extended his heartfelt condolences to the family of the late Speaker, recognizing Balindong’s role in shaping the Bangsamoro government.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>EARLY LIFE</strong></div><div><br/></div><p>Born on January 1, 1940, in Dapao, Pualas, Lanao del Sur, Balindong was the eldest son of Sultan Amer Macaorao Balindong, former mayor of Malabang, Lanao del Sur, and Hajjatu Maimona Marohom Balindong.</p><p>He completed his primary education at Malabang Central Elementary School in 1954 and secondary education at Our Lady of Peace High School in 1958. </p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/10/1/supreme-court-postpones-oct-13-barmm-parliamentary-elections-1708">Supreme Court postpones Oct. 13 Bangsamoro parliamentary elections</a></div><p>He later earned a degree in Political Science (1962) and a Bachelor of Laws (1966) from Manuel L. Quezon University, passing the Philippine Bar Examination in 1967. </p><p>He also took Master’s units in Public Administration at Mindanao State University.</p><p>Balindong was a member of the Mu Kappa Phi Exclusive Law Fraternity.</p><p>In 1971, he was elected as a delegate to the Philippine Constitutional Convention, representing the lone district of Lanao del Sur. </p><p>His commitment to the Moro cause was evident when he served as part of the Consultative Legal Panel of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) during the RP-MNLF Peace Talks in Tripoli, Libya (1977). </p><p>He also represented the Philippines at the World Assembly of the World Muslim Congress in Karachi, Pakistan, and served as a delegate to the 1973 International Youth Conference in Tripoli.</p><p>He was a long-time member of the Philippine Constitution Association (Philconsa), founded in 1961.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>POLITICAL CAREER, LAWS AUTHORED</strong></div><div><br/></div><p>Balindong’s political career spanned decades. </p><p>He first served as a member of the Regional Legislative Assembly (RLA) of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) from 1993 to 1995. </p><p>He became a member of the House of Representatives for the second district of Lanao del Sur in the 10th Philippine Congress.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/9/25/comelec-says-october-13-barmm-polls-legally-factually-impossible-1611">Comelec says holding BARMM polls on Oct. 13 &#x27;legally, factually impossible&#x27;</a></div><p>Among the measures he authored in the ARMM RLA were laws on the registration of births, deaths, and marriages, as well as the creation of the Bureau of Agriculture and Fishery, the Lanao Lake Integrated Development Authority, and the Bureau of Cultural Heritage.</p><p>At the national level, he was the principal author of the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL), which later became the Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL)—the landmark legislation that created the Bangsamoro Government, replacing the ARMM. He also authored the National Commission on Muslim Filipinos Act of 2009 (Republic Act 9997).</p><p>In 2018, former President Rodrigo Duterte appointed him as a member of the Consultative Committee (ConCom) tasked with reviewing the 1987 Philippine Constitution.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>BEYOND POLITICS</strong></div><div><br/></div><p>Beyond politics, Balindong also made significant contributions to education. He served as a member of the Board of Regents of Cotabato City State Polytechnic College and Mindanao State University, and as Vice President for Academic Affairs of Jamiatul Philippine al-Islamia, where he also became Vice Chairman of the Board of Trustees.</p><p>Throughout his life, Balindong remained a pillar of Moro leadership, championing peace, autonomy, and the empowerment of the Bangsamoro people. </p><p>His legacy lives on in the very institutions he helped establish, including the BARMM itself.</p><p>He is remembered not only as a distinguished lawmaker and legal mind but also as a visionary leader whose lifelong work paved the way for a stronger, more inclusive Bangsamoro government.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>RELATED VIDEO</strong></div><div><br/></div><div><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/UuwxSgsOKUw?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><br/></div>

<p>The Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) on Thursday announced the passing of Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA) Parliament Speaker Pangalian Macaorao Balindong, who died at the age of 85.</p>

The Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) on Thursday announced the passing of Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA) Parliament Speaker Pangalian Macaorao Balindong, who died at the age of 85.