Mujiv Sabbihi Hataman (born September 11, 1972) is a Filipino politician and
indigenous people's rights advocate
from the
Yakan people
The Yakan people are among the major Filipino ethnolinguistic groups in the Sulu Archipelago. Having a significant number of followers of Islam, it is considered one of the 13 Muslim groups in the Philippines. The Yakans mainly reside in Basila ...
of the
Sulu Archipelago
The Sulu Archipelago ( Tausug: Kapū'-pūan sin Sūg Sulat Sūg: , ) is a chain of islands in the Pacific Ocean, in the southwestern Philippines. The archipelago forms the northern limit of the Celebes Sea and southern limit of the Sulu Se ...
. He became nationally prominent when he served as the sixth and last
regional governor of the
Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao
The Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (; ''Al-ḥukm adh-dhātī al-'iqlīmī li-muslimī Mindanāu''; ARMM) was an Autonomous regions of the Philippines, autonomous region of the Philippines, located in the Mindanao Island groups of the P ...
(ARMM) from 2011 until it was replaced by the
Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao
Bangsamoro, officially the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM; ; ), is an Autonomous regions of the Philippines, autonomous region in the Philippines, located in the southwestern portion of the island of Mindanao.
Replacin ...
(BARMM) in 2019.
Since 2019, he has been serving as the
representative of
Basilan
Basilan, officially the Province of Basilan (; ; ; ), is an island province of the Philippines located primarily in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region. Basilan Island is the largest and northernmost of the major islands of the Sulu Archipelago ...
's
lone district and was a
House Deputy Speaker from 2019 to 2022.
On July 10, 2020, he was one of the 11 representatives who voted to grant the
franchise renewal of ABS-CBN.
Hataman also previously served as the
Party-list Representative of
Anak Mindanao from 2001 to 2010.
Early life and education
Hataman was born on September 11, 1972, in Buli-Buli,
Sumisip,
Basilan
Basilan, officially the Province of Basilan (; ; ; ), is an island province of the Philippines located primarily in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region. Basilan Island is the largest and northernmost of the major islands of the Sulu Archipelago ...
. He came from an influential family. His grandfather is the Panglima or leader of Yakan in Sumisip while his father was the barangay captain of Sumisip when it was still a
barangay
The barangay (; abbreviated as Brgy. or Bgy.), historically referred to as ''barrio'', is the smallest Administrative divisions of the Philippines, administrative division in the Philippines. Named after the Precolonial barangay, precolonial po ...
. He completed his primary studies at Buli-Buli Elementary School in Sumisip in March 1986 and secondary studies at Basilan National High School in 1990.
He graduated with a degree in
Computer Engineering
Computer engineering (CE, CoE, or CpE) is a branch of engineering specialized in developing computer hardware and software.
It integrates several fields of electrical engineering, electronics engineering and computer science.
Computer engi ...
at
AMA Computer College (now AMA Computer University), where he was the leader of the Muslim Youth and Students Alliance.
Early political career
Relationship with Wahab Akbar
Hataman started as an ally of former Basilan governor
Wahab Akbar; he served as Akbar's chief of staff while he was Governor, and in 2001 was supported as the main party-list Anak-Mindanao candidate to the House of Representatives. Under the party-list system, an underrepresented group or party can obtain one House seat for every two percent that it gets of the party-list votes, with a maximum of three. AMIN achieved the minimum threshold despite election irregularities that nullified some of its votes, but the Supreme Court then issued a temporary restraining order that prevented the party-list representatives from being sworn in. Mujiv served as spokesperson for AMIN in the intervening period. After a two-year delay, the Supreme Court in July 2003 lifted the order and he was finally installed as a representative from Basilan at age 30.
Being a human rights advocate, Hataman opposed Gov. Akbar's implementation of indiscriminate warrantless arrests in Basilan. This started the disagreement between the two. This angered Gov. Akbar that ultimately lead to the falling out of the two.
Accusations in Akbar assassination
Captured suspect and former Tuburan town mayor Hajuron Jamiri accused both Mujiv and his brother Jim as being the masterminds of the
November 2007 bombing at the House of Representatives that killed four people including
Wahab Akbar. Jamiri claimed in a two-page affidavit that Mujiv and Jim wanted Akbar dead because Basilan would "not be at peace" under his administration.
The Hataman brothers denied the allegations, however, and Jimiri's statement was eventually retracted. Mujiv claimed that Jimiri had been tortured and that his "confession" came under duress. Fellow conspirator Ikram Indama likewise later claimed that Salapudin, Bayan Judda, Caidar Aunal, Adham Kusain, Jang Hataman, Jim Hataman and Mujiv Hataman were all not involved in the Batasan blast, and that he was forced by the Akbars to admit to the bombing and to implicate the others.
Regional Governor of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao
Officer-In-Charge of ARMM
On December 22, 2011, due to the "Reform Programs" of
President
President most commonly refers to:
*President (corporate title)
* President (education), a leader of a college or university
*President (government title)
President may also refer to:
Arts and entertainment Film and television
*'' Præsident ...
Benigno Aquino III
Benigno Simeon Aquino III (; born Benigno Simeon Cojuangco Aquino III; February 8, 1960 – June 24, 2021), also known as Noynoy Aquino and colloquially as PNoy, was a Filipino politician who served as the 15th president of the Philippines ...
Congressman Hataman was appointed as
Officer-In-Charge of the
Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao
The Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (; ''Al-ḥukm adh-dhātī al-'iqlīmī li-muslimī Mindanāu''; ARMM) was an Autonomous regions of the Philippines, autonomous region of the Philippines, located in the Mindanao Island groups of the P ...
. The move was criticized by many as Hataman was not a member of the Regional Legislative Assembly. Under Republic Act No. 10153, the President has given authority to appoint Officers In Charge while the Regional Election, originally scheduled August 8, 2011, was postponed until the
general election
A general election is an electoral process to choose most or all members of a governing body at the same time. They are distinct from By-election, by-elections, which fill individual seats that have become vacant between general elections. Gener ...
on May 12, 2013.
Full term as ARMM Governor
During his assumption as OIC-Regional Governor, Hataman announce that he will not run as Regional Governor to focus on his reform programs. But months before the filing of candidacy for 2013 election he was convinced by many cause oriented groups in Mindanao to pursue for a new mandate.
Finally, after being convinced by different Civil Society groups Hataman ran for Regional Governor of ARMM, with DILG-ARMM Regional Secretary Al-Rasheed "Momoy" Lucman as his running mate.
He
ran under the administration Liberal Party against former Regional Governor
Nur Misuari,
Sultan Kudarat
Sultan Kudarat, officially the Province of Sultan Kudarat (; Maguindanao language, Maguindanaon: ''Dairat nu Sultan Kudarat'', Jawi Alphabet, Jawi: دايرت نو سولتان كودرت; ; Ilocano language, Ilocano: ''Probinsia ti Sultan Ku ...
Governor Pax Mungudadatu and 3 other independent candidates. He
won in a landslide victory with 232,253 votes.
When the ARMM was abolished and the
Bangsamoro Autonomous Region
Bangsamoro, officially the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM; ; ), is an autonomous region in the Philippines, located in the southwestern portion of the island of Mindanao.
Replacing the Autonomous Region in Muslim Minda ...
established in its place, the
Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA) was instituted as an interim regional government body. As per law, Hataman as Regional Governor of the ARMM at the time of the region's abolishment automatically becomes a member of the BTA but opted against joining the interim body so he could focus on pursuing local humanitarian and security programs in his home province of Basilan.
Cabinet
House of Representatives
Since
2019
This was the year in which the first known human case of COVID-19 was documented, preceding COVID-19 pandemic, the pandemic which was declared by the World Health Organization the following year.
Up to that point, 2019 had been described as ...
, Hataman has been serving as the
representative of
Basilan
Basilan, officially the Province of Basilan (; ; ; ), is an island province of the Philippines located primarily in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region. Basilan Island is the largest and northernmost of the major islands of the Sulu Archipelago ...
's
lone district. He served as a
House Deputy Speaker from 2019 until 2022.
In 2022, he joined the minority bloc and was named as a deputy minority leader.
Notable house votes
On July 10, 2020, he was one of the 11 representatives who voted to grant the
franchise renewal of ABS-CBN.
2025 election
Hataman was elected governor of Basilan in the
2025 Philippine general election, defeating his nephew, Jay Hataman Salliman.
Human rights advocacy
Mujiv served as a program coordinator of the Kahapan Foundation—Moro Human Rights Center (Kahapan-MHRC).
When he was elected to Congress, he sponsored the Anti-Discrimination Bill, which affirmed the International Convention against All form of Racial Discrimination.
Wealth
In a 2004 ''Philippine Daily Inquirer'' report, Hataman was cited as one of the "poorest" congressmen serving in the House of Representatives, with a net worth of only . The same report noted that out of 225 members of the House, only six were not millionaires, with the richest worth upward of . By 2006, his net worth had increased to , but was still in the bottom tenth.
Family business involvement
According to a ''
BusinessWorld'' article, Hataman in 2004 started a company with his brother that distributes fresh fish from Mindanao to businesses in
Manila
Manila, officially the City of Manila, is the Capital of the Philippines, capital and second-most populous city of the Philippines after Quezon City, with a population of 1,846,513 people in 2020. Located on the eastern shore of Manila Bay on ...
. He said the business is not his, but that of his brother and a brother-in-law, and he only shares his managerial and marketing expertise. The business started with only in capital and now earns to a month. His distribution network includes wet markets in Manila and
Quezon City
Quezon City (, ; ), also known as the City of Quezon and Q.C. (read and pronounced in Filipino language, Filipino as Kyusi), is the richest and List of cities in the Philippines, most populous city in the Philippines. According to the 2020 c ...
.
Hataman political bloc
The Hatamans and their allies constitute one of the powerful familial political blocs of Basilan, and frequently come in conflict with the Akbar family in competing for elected office. Frequently this conflict turns violent; in December 2008, two of Mujiv's cousins were shot dead in an attack, and Mujiv was one of several politicians accused in Akbar's assassination in November 2007.
His two brothers are also influential politicians; older brother
Hadjiman "Jim" Hataman was the former representative from the lone district of
Basilan
Basilan, officially the Province of Basilan (; ; ; ), is an island province of the Philippines located primarily in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region. Basilan Island is the largest and northernmost of the major islands of the Sulu Archipelago ...
, and younger brother
"Boy" Hataman was previously mayor of
Sumisip. Together, the Hataman brothers constitute a powerful political bloc in Basilan. Former Lamitan mayor, Roderick Furigay is considered one of their allies.
Gerry Salapuddin was also an ally, but they may have had a falling out after the accusations associated with the Akbar assassination.
Personal life
Hataman is from the
Yakan tribe.
He is married to
Sitti Djalia Turabin.
On August 1, 2020, Hataman and his wife announced that they had contracted
COVID-19
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic.
The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...
.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hataman, Mujiv Sabbihi
1972 births
Filipino Muslims
Governors of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao
Lakas–CMD politicians
Liberal Party (Philippines) politicians
Living people
People from Basilan
Members of the House of Representatives of the Philippines from Basilan
Party-list members of the House of Representatives of the Philippines