THE SUPREME COURT (SC) on Wednesday struck down two Bangsamoro parliamentary redistricting laws, effectively canceling the Oct. 13 elections in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).

In a decision dated Sept. 30, SC spokesperson Camille Sue Mae L. Ting announced that the Court en banc granted two consolidated petitions.

The tribunal voted 11-3-1 to declare Bangsamoro Autonomy Act (BAA) No. 77, the Bangsamoro Parliamentary Redistricting Act of 2025, unconstitutional for violating Section 5 of the Voter’s Registration Act, which bars altering precincts after the election period has begun.

The law, passed on Aug. 19 and signed into law on Aug. 28, was enacted days after the Aug. 14 start of the election period.

The Court likewise struck down BAA No. 58, the Bangsamoro Parliamentary Districts Act of 2024, saying it cannot be revived since it was based on an outdated framework that still included Sulu as part of BARMM.

“There can be no BARMM parliamentary elections on Oct. 13, 2025 because of the lack of a valid districting law,” the Court said.

Instead, it ordered the Bangsamoro Transition Authority to determine new parliamentary districts by Oct. 30 in line with the Bangsamoro Organic Law and the Constitution.

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) was then directed to hold elections no later than March 31, 2026.

“It is very clear that we have no law to enforce. It’s back to zero for Comelec,” Comelec Chairman George Erwin M. Garcia told reporters in a Viber message.

“In the meantime, the ball is in the hands of the Bangsamoro Parliament, and we shall be waiting for their action and compliance,” he added.

The ruling also noted logistical hurdles raised by Comelec, including the incomplete poll worker training, need for sectoral assemblies, and installation of Starlink connectivity across BARMM.

With less than a month before the scheduled vote, the poll body said enforcing BAA No. 77 “would cause massive confusion among the more than 2.25 million registered voters.” — Erika Mae P. Sinaking

THE Muntinlupa Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 204 has officially closed the criminal case against Party-list Rep. Leila M. de Lima and her co-accused Ronnie Palisoc Dayan after the prosecution withdrew its motion for reconsideration.

In an order dated Sept. 30, the regional court granted the panel of public prosecutors’ request to withdraw the motion, which had been filed on July 14, following instructions from the Office of the Prosecutor General.

The motion sought to revisit Ms. De Lima’s acquittal in a criminal case filed under the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002 (Republic Act No. 9165).

The order stressed that “every acquittal becomes final immediately upon promulgation and cannot be recalled for correction or amendment.”

It added that granting the motion for reconsideration would violate the constitutional protection against double jeopardy, effectively reopening prosecution despite an acquittal.

“With the withdrawal of the motion for reconsideration, this case is hereby deemed closed and terminated,” the order read.

Ms. De Lima, a former senator and long-time critic of the Duterte administration, was charged with illegal drug trading in connection with alleged drug activities inside the New Bilibid Prison during her tenure as Justice secretary. — Erika Mae P. Sinaking

THE Department of Justice (DoJ) has expanded its investigation into alleged irregularities in flood control projects in Las Piñas involving lawmakers.

Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin C. Remulla on Wednesday said that the flood-control inquiry now covers former senator Cynthia A. Villar, Sen. Mark A. Villar, and Sen. Camille A. Villar over possible conflicts of interest.

Mr. Villar, who served as secretary of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) from 2016 to 2021, is being investigated for allegedly favoring a contractor said to be his first cousin.

“The contractor reportedly secured projects amounting to over P18 billion in Las Piñas alone. That raises questions that we need to examine,” Mr. Remulla told reporters.

The DoJ chief added that the senator will be given an opportunity to present his side and respond to the allegations.

He noted the case is among 67 flagged by Congress, with formal summons to Senator Mark Villar and others to follow once investigators firm up the records.

Mr. Remulla explained that the justice department’s review extends to relatives up to the fourth degree of consanguinity, a scope that includes former senator Cynthia A. Villar, described as a third-degree relation to the contractor, and Senator Camille A. Villar.

The Villars, among the most prominent political families in the country, have yet to issue a statement on the matter. — Erika Mae P. Sinaking

THE Commission on Elections (Comelec) said the cancelation of the Duterte Youth party-list’s registration is final and immediately executory, barring its entry to the 20^th Congress.

“The Commission En Banc resolved to deny the Motion for Reconsideration of the Duterte Youth Partylist and affirmed the Resolution of the Commission Second Division in cancelling Duterte Youth’s party-list registration,” the Comelec said in a statement Wednesday.

The Comelec en banc found the party-list’s registration void ab initio, or right from the beginning, due to noncompliance with mandatory publication and hearing requirements, deemed jurisdictional.

It also cited other grounds for cancelation, including untruthful statements in its petition, lack of bona fide intention to represent its sector, and advocacy of violence or unlawful means to achieve its objectives.

Comelec further noted that “it was an adjunct of or an entity funded or assisted by the National Youth Commission,” and that the petition had been filed “to put the election process in mockery or disrepute.”

The commission highlighted procedural irregularities during the 2019 National and Local Elections, including “withdrawal and substitution en masse, as well as the back-and-forth switching of nominees,” which it said “undermine the spirit and intent of the party-list system and puts a mockery in the election process.”

The Davao-based organization garnered more than 2 million votes in this year’s midterm elections, placing second among party-list contenders, with Comelec now tasked to decide which party-lists will benefit from the three seats originally assigned to it. — Erika Mae P. Sinaking