Mamintal Raki-In Adiong III—known simply as Miko to friends—never planned on entering politics. His family name has been tied to government service in Mindanao for three generations, but the eldest Adiong was content to live away from the spotlight.
Growing up in Marawi, politics was part of the household conversation. Peace, order, and justice in Bangsamoro were dinner table topics, but Miko imagined a quieter future, one devoted to philanthropy. “I didn’t want to be the type of leader who runs for office out of compliance with family tradition,” he says. “I just wanted to be in the background.”
Then the Marawi siege happened.
In 2017, when fighting erupted between government troops and Islamic State-linked militants, Miko was among the volunteers who rushed to help. Along with friends, he co-founded a rescue group called the Suicide Squad, later nicknamed “Marawi’s White Helmets” by international media. They entered the battle zone to save civilians trapped in the ruins, recovered remains for burial, and stayed in the Provincial Capitol Complex to protect evacuees.
“We witnessed the suffering of our people in evacuation centers,” he recalls. “That was my defining moment. I realized maybe I could help more if I held a position, an avenue to serve.”
The experience shifted his path. Once resistant to family pressure to run for office, Miko is now making a bid for a seat in the Bangsamoro Parliament in the October elections in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM). He will run under the Barmm Grand Coalition (BGC), a registered political party that fields candidates through the party-list system. For many who know him as introverted and apolitical, the decision came as a surprise. Yet his record as a civic leader, particularly during Marawi’s darkest hours, suggests that public service was always in his blood.
The Adiong family has long played a central role in Lanao del Sur politics. Miko’s grandfather, Mamintal Adiong Sr., the family patriarch, served as governor of Lanao del Sur and laid the foundation for the Adiong clan’s long tradition of public service in Mindanao. One of his achievements was initiating the long-awaited project to build a highway linking Marawi City to Wao and Bumbaran—breaking decades-long geographic isolation for those town. Upon completion it was renamed in his honor as the Gov. Mamintal M. Adiong Sr. National Road. His father, Governor Mamintal “Bombit” Adiong Jr., and relatives from his mother’s side were involved in shaping peace and governance in Bangsamoro. Reforms they supported—such as the expansion of the Mindanao State University system, now with 13 campuses nationwide—continue to benefit youth across the region.
At 33, Miko is the eldest son of Governor Bombit Adiong and that late Raifa Raki-in Adiong. Miko is married to lawyer Sittie Aliyyah A. Lomondot. His upbringing, he says, taught him to share his time with the people and to put community above self.
From his father, he learned dedication and fairness. “I have never seen anyone as hardworking and fair as him,” he says.
Miko holds a degree in Diplomacy and International Relations from RC Al-Khwarizmi International College and is pursuing a master’s in Local Governance at Liceo de Cagayan University. Before politics, he supervised infrastructure projects in Lanao del Sur, insisting on strict compliance. “I don’t like half-hearted work,” he says. “I believe in leadership by example.”
After the Marawi Siege, he devoted his time to the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office, ensuring local offices had equipment and training to respond to calamities. He later led operations during the COVID-19 pandemic.
He also ventured into technology. Dissatisfied by poor internet in Marawi, he partnered with a Cebu-based provider to bring faster connections to the city and province through the “Marawi Connect,” digital-infrastructure initiative of which he chairs.
If elected, Miko hopes to represent voices often left out of policymaking—particularly the youth and survivors of Marawi. “The role of the youth is crucial in our pursuit of sustainable development,” he says. “They possess strength, idealism, and capacity. What they need is space—space to learn and to participate.”
For Marawi, his commitment is personal. “I feel for the people, not only because I’m from here or because I was part of the rescue operations, but because they have the right to rebuild their lives with dignity and hope.”
He points to urgent needs: education access, job creation, and honest representation. “Our workers deserve humane wages so they don’t have to leave their families for jobs abroad,” he says. “If we create opportunities here, the region will benefit.”
As part of the Bangsamoro Grand Coalition, Miko advocates for inclusive governance and representation across the political spectrum, including both the Moro Islamic Liberation Front and Moro National Liberation Front. Among the group’s priorities is the creation of a united regional parliamentary government that reflects the diversity of Bangsamoro society.
Community participation, he underscores, must guide policy. “We want to ensure people are consulted, engaged, and have access to programs relevant to their needs,” he says. For him, institutionalizing policies that reflect the region’s history, culture, and aspirations will help stabilize and sustain the BARMM.
Miko’s passion extends beyond legislation. Disaster preparedness, he insists, is a concern. Typhoons striking Lanao del Sur after the Marawi siege highlighted the dangers of neglecting climate change. “Environmental issues must also be addressed. We must protect our resources or we will suffer the consequences,” he maintains.
He envisions harnessing BARMM’s natural wealth to make the region more self-reliant. “We must find sustainable ways to use our resources,” he says.
Asked what kind of leader he hopes to be, Miko replies: “An honest and transparent leader who stood up for the rights of every Bangsamoro.”
Miko also hopes to develop tourism in Lanao del Sur, showcasing the province’s lakes, cultural heritage, and natural landscapes as sources of livelihood and pride for its people.
In ten years, he hopes to see BARMM as self-dependent, inclusive, and progressive—a vision rooted in peace, dignity, and justice. “The people deserve more progress,” he says. “We must honor the past but bridge the future through innovation, hope, and empowerment, especially for the youth.”
For a man who once wanted nothing more than to stay out of politics, Miko Adiong has found his calling in the place he least expected: the heart of Bangsamoro’s struggle for renewal. PR (Friendship Haj)