No BARMM parliamentary polls on Oct. 13 - SC

Metro Manila, Philippines - There will be no Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) parliamentary elections on Oct. 13 after the Supreme Court (SC) declared a redistricting law unconstitutional.

Acting on consolidated petitions, the SC said the Bangsamoro Autonomy Act (BAA) 77, or the Bangsamoro Parliamentary Redistricting Act of 2025, violated the Voter’s Registration Act by altering precincts once election period began.

BAA 77, which reorganizes BARMM parliamentary districts to reallocate seats for Sulu, which the high court said was not part of the autonomous region, was signed into law on Aug. 28, beyond the beginning of the election period on Aug. 14.

The SC also said BAA 77 is “void for violating the Bangsamoro Organic Law’s requirement that each district should comprise adjacent and adjoining areas as far as practicable.”

The high court noted that the nullification of BAA 77 “does not revive” the BAA 58 or the Bangsamoro Parliamentary Districts Act – which it also declared unconstitutional – that includes Sulu in its parliamentary districts.

“A new and valid districting law must be passed consistent with the Bangsamoro Organic Law, national laws, and the Constitution. There can be no BARMM parliamentary elections on October 13, 2025, because of the lack of a valid districting law,” the SC said in a press briefer on Wednesday, Oct. 2.

It ordered the Bangsamoro Transition Authority to determine the parliamentary districts for the first regular election for parliament members by Oct. 30 at the latest.

Meanwhile, the court directed the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to “promptly proceed” with preparations for the elections not later than March 31, 2026.

The SC said the decision was immediately executory.

“The voting was 11-3-1: 11 voted for the ponencia, and three concurred in the declaration of the nullity of BAA 77 but dissented with the finding that BAA 58 is invalid. Acting Chief Justice Marvic M.V.F. Leonen and Associate Justices Ricardo R. Rosario and Antonio T. Kho, Jr. were of the opinion that there was sufficient legal basis for the election to continue,” the court said.

Comelec chairman George Garcia said it is “back to zero” for the poll body.

“The ball is in the hands of the Bangsamoro Parliament. We shall be waiting for their action and compliance,” he told reporters in a message.