@BANGSAMOROGOVT

A BILL seeking to postpone the general elections of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) by a year to 2026 has been filed at the House of Representatives.

House Bill (HB) No. 11034, principally authored by House Speaker and Leyte Rep. Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez, proposed to defer the region’s first general elections to May 11, 2026, from May 12, 2025, to give the Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA) time to address “key governance, electoral, and administrative issues.”

“This postponement is not a delay in progress, but rather a necessary step to ensure that the foundations we are building for BARMM are solid and capable of supporting a sustainable autonomous government,” Mr. Romualdez said in a statement on Wednesday.

A counterpart bill has been filed by Senate President Francis G. Escudero, highlighting the “urgency” of the measure.

The BTA served as the interim regional government in BARMM after the Organic Law for the BARMM, Republic Act (RA) No. 11504, was ratified in Jan. 2019.

Last Oct. 22, the BTA adopted Resolution No. 641, requesting both houses of Congress to extend the transition period from 2025 to 2028 to prepare for a “smooth democratic transition adequately,” according to the explanatory note of the bill.

“This bill seeks additional time to allow the resolution of various emerging legal issues, promoting broader participation from political parties and enhancing the electorate’s understanding of new electoral processes,” it added.

The Supreme Court (SC) in September upheld the law’s constitutionality, but ruled Sulu is not part of the region, a decision seen having political and financial implications to BARMM. 

Mr. Romualdez noted the ruling created a “legal vacuum” in the BARMM Parliament’s composition, particularly the allocation of parliamentary district seats.

The exclusion of Sulu gives rise to a need to recalibrate, requiring more time and extensive legislative adjustments, he added.

“The legislation is to properly respond to the demand of the current circumstances,” Lanao del Sur Rep. Zia Alonto Adiong, who is among the authors, said in Filipino in a media briefing on Wednesday.

“The Supreme Court ruling excluding Sulu from the core territory of the BARMM really has a substantial impact on how we would hold the elections… for the first time.”

The BARMM government’s lawmaking power is vested in parliament, composed of 80 members, of which 40 are political party representatives and eight are sectoral representatives, according to RA 11504.

The remaining 32 seats are allotted for BARMM’s congressional districts. Sulu province was slated to have seven districts up for grabs before the SC ruling.

“You’re not just talking about seven seats, you’re actually talking about… 14 seats all in all,” Deputy Majority Leader and Party-list Rep. Jude A. Acidre said in the same press briefing. “If you reduce the district seats in the Bangsamoro Parliament by seven, there will also be an adjustment in the reserved seats for party-lists.”

Sulu province’s exclusion from BARMM also affected the elections of its government’s chief executive, he added. “So, considering that for them, the chief minister is elected from parliament and by parliament, that’s a significant matter.”

HB 11034 defers BARMM elections to May 2026, providing that subsequent elections should be held every three years thereafter.

It also grants President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. authority to appoint 80 new interim members of the BTA until successors are elected successors have been elected, according to the bill.

The terms of the sitting members of the Bangsamoro parliament would be deemed expired, the measure stated.

In a separate statement, Deputy Minority Leader and Basilan Rep. Mujiv S. Hataman said there should be public consultations first before policymakers start considering proposals to postpone the regional elections.

“Therefore, I oppose any proposal to postpone the 2025 BARMM elections because we must remain committed to upholding and defending the sacred right of the people to vote and elect leaders,” he said.

On Monday, the Commission on Elections started the period of the filling for candidacy, which will run up to Nov. 9. — Kenneth Christiane L. Basilio