Pangalian Balindong
Ali Pangalian Macaorao Balindong was a Filipino lawyer and politician. He was the Speaker of the [Bangsamoro Parliament|speaker] of the Bangsamoro Parliament from 2019 until his death in 2025. Balindong was also a deputy speaker of the Philippine House of Representatives and a member of the 1971 Philippine Constitutional Convention.
Early life and education
Pangalian Balindong was born on January 1, 1940, in Lanao to an influential clan. He was the eldest son of Sultan Amer Macaorao Balindong, a former mayor of Malabang, and Maimona Marohom.Balingdong finished his primary education at the Malabang Central Elementary School in 1954 and finished his secondary education at the Our Lady of Peace High School in 1958.
He attended the Manuel L. Quezon University in Manila graduating with a political science degree in 1962 and a law degree in 1966. He passed the bar examinations in the following year. He took some master's units in public administration at the Mindanao State University.
Career
Balindong engaged in private legal practice and served as legal counsel for the Moro National Liberation Front which works for peace initiatives with the government. In 1971, he joined the Philippine Constitutional Convention representing the Lone District of Lanao del Sur.ARMM assemblyman
Balindong started his political career when he held the post of Assemblyman from 1990 to 1993 representing the 2nd District of Lanao del Sur and was elected as Speaker of the Regional Legislative Assemblyman of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao between 1991 and 1993.House of Representatives
Balindong was a member of the House of Representatives with Lanao del Sur's 2nd district as his constituency. He ran in the 1987 elections but lost to Mohammad Ali Dimaporo.He was elected as Lanao del Sur 2nd district representative in the 1995 election for the 10th Congress. He ran again in 2007 and became a representative during the 14th, 15th, and 16th Congresses. In 2013, he rose to the deputy speaker post of the House of Representatives until 2016.
Balindong authored the law which created the National Commission on Muslim Filipinos in 2009. Balindong also authored Integrated History Act of 2016 which mandates the inclusion of Moro and indigenous people's history in the national history curriculum. He also proposed House Bill 144 which bans the use of "Muslim" and "Christian" in describing suspects of a crime in news reporting to discourage harmful stereotypes.
He also authored and an advocate of the Bangsamoro Basic Law during his tenure as a congressman. A similar measure which proposed the creation of a Bangsamoro autonomous region became law in 2018 which is now known as the Bangsamoro Organic Law.
Consultative Committee
In 2018, under Executive Order No. 10, Balindong was appointed by President Rodrigo Duterte as a member of the 25-member Consultative Committee to Review the 1987 Philippine Constitution, a committee composed of former government officials, veteran lawyers, and academicians tasked by Duterte to craft a federal constitution.Bangsamoro Parliament
Balindong became part of the Bangsamoro Transition Authority, which forms part of the interim Bangsamoro Parliament, in 2019. On March 29, 2025, Balindong was elected as parliament speaker having been nominated by Mohagher Iqbal. He was releelected in September 2022.Personal life and death
Balindong was a Maranao. He married Jamela Malawani Alonto on April 28, 1968, with whom he had eight children. He was a member of the Mu Kappa Phi Exclusive Law Fraternity.After six years in office, Balindong died at age 85 on October 2, 2025, while at the St. Luke's Medical Center in Quezon City for an undisclosed illness.