Metro Manila, Philippines – The interim government of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao said its parliament approved on third and final reading a law that reallocates seven parliamentary seats originally assigned to Sulu province to pave the way for the first regional legislative elections.
According to the Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA), Parliament Bill 415 passed with 48 affirmative votes, 19 negative, and four abstentions in a voting that went past midnight on Tuesday, Jan. 13.
The measure sets nine parliamentary seats for Lanao del Sur, five each for Maguindanao del Norte and Maguindanao del Sur, four each for Basilan and Tawi-Tawi, three for Cotabato City, and two for the Special Geographic Area.
Districts were assigned based on the region’s population of more than 4.5 million. Each district has at least 100,000 people within contiguous, compact, and adjacent territory.
The Commission on Elections (Comelec) welcomed the approval of the proposed measure but raised possible contradictions in holding the polls by end-March..
“We are now confronted with strong legal and operational issues as to whether the conduct of the first Bangsamoro parliamentary election is still feasible by March 30,” Comelec Chairman George Erwin Garcia said.
In October last year, the Supreme Court postponed the Bangsamoro polls after striking down BARMM districting laws – BAAs 58 and 77 – as unconstitutional following its ruling that excluded Sulu from the region.
It ordered the BTA to pass a new redistricting law and directed the Comelec to hold the polls no later than March 31, 2026.
“The SC clearly emphasized that there should be no redistricting 120 days before the election,” Garcia said.
“Since, as mandated by the decision, we fixed the date of election on March 30, 2026. This will now run contrary to the prohibition mentioned and the provision of the law,” he added.
The Comelec previously postponed key preparatory deadlines amid delays in passing the Bangsamoro measure.
Asked if the polls will be rescheduled again, Garcia said the commission is “not yet prepared to answer that question this early.”
