The United Bangsamoro Justice Party (UBJP) is a political party based in

Mindanao Mindanao ( ) is the List of islands of the Philippines, second-largest island in the Philippines, after Luzon, and List of islands by population, seventh-most populous island in the world. Located in the southern region of the archipelago, the ...

Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...

, which is affiliated with the

Moro Islamic Liberation Front The Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF; ) is an Islamist group based in Mindanao, Philippines, which sought an autonomous region of the Moro people from the central government. The group has a presence in the Bangsamoro region of Mindanao, t ...

(MILF).

History

Formation

The United Bangsamoro Justice Party was organized in 2014 by the

(MILF) as a vehicle to run in future elections. The MILF, a rebel group which has been fighting for self-determination of the Moros in Mindanao, was anticipating the creation of a Bangsamoro autonomous region by 2016, after securing a peace deal with the Philippine government. The political party has formally been registered in May 2015 with the

Commission on Elections An election commission is a body charged with overseeing the implementation of electioneering process of any country. The formal names of election commissions vary from jurisdiction to jurisdiction, and may be styled an electoral commission, a c ...

(Comelec). The formation of the Bangsamoro region was delayed.

2019 Bangsamoro plebiscite

In October 2018, the party announced its intention to campaign for the "yes" vote at the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region creation plebiscite to be held in January and February 2019 and decided not to participate in the May 2019 local elections, even though some members decided to participate as independents or under major parties like the NUP,

Lakas Lakas means ''strength'', ''power'' in Tagalog and may refer to: Politics * Lakas ng Bayan (English: People's Power), a defunct political party in the Philippines founded in 1978 * Lakas ng Bansa, (English: Power of the Country), a defunct polit ...

and

PDP-Laban The Partido Demokratiko Pilipino (PDP, ) is a Populism, populist List of political parties in the Philippines, political party in the Philippines founded in 1982. It was previously known as Partido Demokratiko Pilipino–Lakas ng Bayan (PDP–L ...

2022 Philippine elections

The UBJP fielded candidates for local positions to be contested in the 2022 Philippine elections. The party selected candidates who supported the Bangsamoro cause and the MILF-led Bangsamoro's government campaign to extend the transitional period of the region. In April 2021, incumbent elected officials of the province of Tawi-Tawi joined the UBJP. They were joined by 11 Maguindanao mayors the following month marking the first batches of officials joining the UBJP. The UBJP endorsed

Esmael Mangudadatu Esmael Gaguil Mangudadatu (; born August 15, 1968) is a Filipino politician who is the representative of Maguindanao del Sur's lone district, having been elected in 2025. He previously served as the representative of the then-undivided Magui ...

and Bai Sandra Sema as candidates for governor and vice governor of Maguindanao for the 2022 elections. While

Chief Minister A chief minister is an elected or appointed head of government of – in most instances – a sub-national entity, for instance an administrative subdivision or federal constituent entity. Examples include a state (and sometimes a union ter ...

Murad Ebrahim Ahod Balawag Ebrahim (; Jawi: احد بلاوݢ ابرهیم; born May 15, 1949), better known as Al Haj Murad Ebrahim, is a Moro Filipino politician and former rebel leader who served as the first chief minister of the Bangsamoro Autonomous ...

tagged presidential candidate

Isko Moreno Francisco "Isko" Moreno Domagoso (; born October 24, 1974) is a Filipino politician, actor, host and entrepreneur who is the mayor-elect of Manila, the capital city of the Philippines, having been 2025 Manila local elections, elected in 202 ...

as the "incoming president" during a courtesy call during the campaign period, on February 22 the UBJP released a clarification that it is not formally endorsing any candidate. In April 2022, the UBJP along with Mangudadatu, eventually threw their support for Vice President

Leni Robredo Maria Leonor "Leni" Gerona Robredo (; Gerona; born April 23, 1965) is a Filipino lawyer and politician who served as the 14th vice president of the Philippines from 2016 to 2022. She is the mayor-elect of Naga, Camarines Sur, having won the ...

for president, with Bangsamoro Interim Chief Minister Murad Ebrahim stating that Robredo and the party are "overwhelmingly compatible" in terms of values and principles in relation to the Bangsamoro."

2025 Bangsamoro election

The UBJP will take part in the first

2025 Bangsamoro Parliament election The 2025 Bangsamoro Parliament election is scheduled to take place in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) on October 13 under the Bangsamoro Organic Law, the charter of the autonomous region of the Philippines. This elect ...

. In February 2024, the party claimed 20,000 members, double the minimum required members for political parties under the Bangsamoro Election Code.

Leadership

;President *

(incumbent) ;Secretary-General *Sammy Al-Mansoor ;Vice President for Central Mindanao *

Mohagher Iqbal Datucan M. Abas, better known by his ''nom de guerre'' of Mohagher Iqbal, is a Filipino politician and former rebel who is a member of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front where he served as chair of the group's peace panel. Currently serving as t ...

References

{{Philippine political parties Politics of Basilan Politics of Lanao del Sur Politics of Maguindanao del Norte Politics of Maguindanao del Sur Politics of Sulu Politics of Tawi-Tawi Regionalist parties in the Philippines Local political parties in the Philippines Moro Islamic Liberation Front Islamic democratic political parties Islamic political parties Political parties of minorities in the Philippines