Metro Manila, Philippines – The Commission on Elections (Comelec) postponed the parliamentary polls of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region (BARMM) in Muslim Mindanao on March 30 as “election timelines are already too proximate.”
The Comelec approved a resolution on Wednesday, Jan. 28, that stated that the conduct of the BARMM’s first parliamentary elections will be deferred “until a new date is fixed by law.”
This was the fourth time parliamentary elections were reset since the creation of the BARMM in 2019.
“Legally at operationally, hindi na kaya ng ganitong kaiksi ng pagko-conduct ng halalan,” Comelec Chairman George Garcia told reporters after the en banc session.
[Translation: Comelec cannot legally and operationally conduct the elections in this short span of time.]
The election period was supposed to happen on Thursday, Jan. 29, but election officials already decided to terminate all poll activities as the region’s new redistricting law, which according to Comelec’s information, has yet to be published and be deemed effective.
Comelec set the March 30 poll in line with the Supreme Court ruling that there will be no Oct. 13 elections as justices declared the Bangsamoro Autonomy Act (BAA) 77, or the Bangsamoro Parliamentary Redistricting Act of 2025, unconstitutional.
The Bangsamoro Transition Authority Parliament passed a bill reallocating seven parliamentary seats originally assigned to Sulu province on Jan. 13, with Interim Chief Minister Abdulraof Macacua signing the measure a week later.
It was over two months late from the Supreme Court order to determine the 32 parliamentary districts by Oct. 30 last year.
Garcia said the Comelec will write a manifestation to the Supreme Court explaining that the postponement was to follow the court order on the conduct of the elections.
He also said holding the BARMM parliamentary elections with the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan polls in November will not be a good option, as the former will use automated technology while the latter will be manual.
Parliamentary election was originally set for May 2022 but moved to May 2025 because of the pandemic. The first regular parliament will be composed of 80 members, 40 political party representatives, 32 district representatives, and eight sectoral representatives.
