Governor of Maguindanao del Norte

Governor of Maguindanao del Norte
Punong Lalawigan ng Hilagang Maguindanao
Seal of the province of Maguindanao del Norte
Incumbent Tucao Ong Mastura since June 30, 2025
Style	Honorable (formal) Mr./Madame Governor (informal)
Term length	3 years
Inaugural holder	Ainee Sinsuat Abdulraof Macacua [a]
Formation	October 13, 2022 [1] [2]

The governor of Maguindanao del Norte is the highest political office in the province of Maguindanao del Norte, Philippines. ^{[3] [4]}

History

See also: Maguindanao leadership crises

Following the 2022 Maguindanao division plebiscite of September 17, 2022, Maguindanao was split into Maguindanao del Sur and Maguindanao del Norte provinces. ^[5] The charter legislation of the two provinces, Republic Act No. 11550 provides for an acting governors for the newly formed subdivisions. Ainee Sinsuat, the last vice governor of Maguindanao was supposed to assume the position of governor of Maguindanao del Norte. However this was uncertain, since the relevant provision which dictates the initial province officials presumes that the plebiscite would be held before the May 2022 national elections but the division vote was postponed after that date. ^{[6] [7]}

Sinsuat would assumed the position of governor of Maguindanao del Norte nevertheless, ^[8] which was unrecognized by the Bangsamoro regional government. ^[9] On April 5, 2023, President Bongbong Marcos appointed Abdulraof Macacua as the Officer in Charge (OIC) governor of the province. Sinsuat, who had presumably assumed the role of acting governor, would be named as OIC vice governor. ^[10] On April 28, 2023, President Bongbong Marcos reappointed Macacua as the full fledged governor of the Maguindanao del Norte together with other officials of the provincial government. ^[11]

On August 14, 2023, Sinsuat vacated her position as vice governor and revived her claim as the legitimate acting governor of Maguindanao del Norte once again. ^[12] The Bangsamoro regional government does not recognize Sinsuat's claim. ^[13] In November 2023, the Supreme Court ruled that Sinsuat had abandoned her claim when she took oath as vice governor in April. ^[14]

List of governors

No.	Portrait		Governor Office [b] (Lifespan)	Party	Term of office			Election	City/Municipality	Vice Governor
					start	end	duration
– [c]			Fatima Ainee Limbona-Sinsuat Vice Governor of Maguindanao (born 1986)	Nacionalista	13 October 2022	05 April 2023	2 years, 174 days	—	Datu Odin Sinsuat		Nacionalista	Sharifudin Tucao P. Mastura (2022–2023)
– [d]			Abdulraof A. Macacua Member of the Bangsamoro Transition Authority Parliament (born 1957)	UBJP	28 April 2023 [e]	26 March 2025	1 year, 332 days	—	Kabuntalan			Fatima Ainee Limbona-Sinsuat [f] (2023–2025)
											PFP
– [g]			Sharifudin Tucao P. Mastura Member of the Maguindanao del Norte Provincial Board	Nacionalista	26 March 2025	30 June 2025	101 days	—	Sultan Kudarat		UBJP	Abdulnasser A. Abas (2025)
1			Tucao O. Mastura Mayor of Sultan Kudarat (born 1946)	UBJP	30 June 2025	Incumbent	54 days	2025	Sultan Kudarat			Marshall I. Sinsuat (2025–Incumbent)

Notes

1. As recognized by the Bangsamoro regional and Philippine national governments.
2. Office before became/elected Governor.
3. Acting governor; self-appointed
4. Appointed officer in charge.
5. Macacua served as the Officer–in–Charge from April 5 to April 28, 2023.
6. Self-appointed as acting governor from August 14, 2023. Considers to have "reassumed" the position based on a June 2023 Supreme Court ruling. Decision revoked in November 2023
7. Appointed acting governor. ^{[15] [16]}

References

1. "Governors, vice govs of split Maguindanao provinces assume posts". ABS-CBN News . October 22, 2022. Archived from the original on October 23, 2022. Retrieved October 24, 2022.
2. Fernandez, Edwin (October 22, 2022). "Maguindanao ceases to exist as 2 new provinces rise". Philippine Daily Inquirer . Archived from the original on October 24, 2022. Retrieved October 24, 2022.
3. Mendoza, John Eric (September 18, 2022). "Maguindanao Del Norte, Maguindanao Del Sur officially now provinces". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Archived from the original on September 27, 2022. Retrieved September 28, 2022.
4. Ramirez, Robertzon; Jaymalin, Mayen (September 19, 2022). "Maguindanao now split into 2 provinces". The Philippine Star . Archived from the original on September 24, 2022. Retrieved September 28, 2022.
5. "With Maguindanao split into 2, Mindanao now has 28 provinces and BARMM has 6". MindaNews. 18 September 2022. Retrieved 18 September 2022.
6. "Who will lead two Maguindanao provinces? Comelec to issue legal opinion soon". CNN Philippines. 19 September 2022. Archived from the original on September 19, 2022. Retrieved 19 September 2022.
7. Villegas, Gab Humilde (September 27, 2022). "DILG urged: Appoint Maguindanao official". Daily Tribune .
8. "Governors, vice govs of split Maguindanao provinces assume posts". ABS-CBN News. 22 October 2022. Retrieved 23 October 2022.
9. Fernandez, Edwin (26 October 2022). "BARMM says it won't recognize officials of new Maguindanao province". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved 26 October 2022.
10. "Marcos names OICs for Maguindanao del Norte, Maguindanao del Sur". GMA News. 5 April 2023. Retrieved 5 April 2023.
11. Flores, Helen (30 April 2023). "Marcos to prioritize new provinces of Maguindanao". Philippine Star. Retrieved 24 July 2023.
12. Cabrera, Fedinandh (16 August 2023). "SC ruling causes crisis in Maguindanao del Norte as Sinsuat claims governor's seat again". Rappler. Retrieved 20 August 2023.
13. Madale, Asangan (19 August 2023). "BARMM: No changes in governorship". The Manila Times. Retrieved 20 August 2023.
14. Fernandez, Edwin O. (17 November 2023). "Leadership row ends in Maguindanao Norte". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved 27 March 2025.
15. "Board Member Mastura is now governor of Maguindanao del Norte". MindaNews. 27 March 2025. Retrieved 27 March 2025.
16. "Maguindanao del Norte has a new governor". Rappler. 27 March 2025. Retrieved 27 March 2025.