BARMM election sked in limbo despite Sulu redistricting law — Comelec

The fate of the inaugural Bangsamoro parliamentary elections scheduled on March 30, 2026 remains in limbo following the passage of a new districting law reallocating the seven seats initially assigned to Sulu.

Commission on Elections (Comelec) Chairperson George Erwin Garcia on Wednesday welcomed the enactment of Parliamentary Bill (PB) 415, but noted that it was approved within the 120-day period prohibited under election laws.

"Hindi ko po masasabi sa inyo sa kasalukuyan kung tuloy o hindi sa March 30 ang Bangsamoro elections," Garcia told reporters.

(I cannot say at this time whether the Bangsamoro elections will push through on March 30.)

"Ang sinasabi ko lang po, malinaw na ang redistricting na kanilang ginawa ay pumasok na sa 120 days bago ang halalan na March 30, na sinasabi mismo ng Korte Suprema na bawal sa ilalim ng Section 5 ng Republic Act No. 8189," he added.

(What I can say is, the redistricting was carried out within the 120-day period before the elections, which the Supreme Court has said is prohibited under Section 5 of Republic Act No. 8189.)

On Tuesday, the Bangsamoro Parliament approved on third and final reading proposed PB 415 after months of delay.

Bangsamoro Chief Minister Abdulraof Macacua earlier certified the proposed measure as urgent, allowing the Parliament to approve it on second and third reading on the same day instead of observing the usual three-day interval.

Under the new law, parliamentary seats are allocated as follows: nine 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 apportioned based on the Bangsamoro population of 4,545,486. Each district is composed of at least 100,000 residents within contiguous, compact, and adjacent territory.

"Sa kasalukuyan, pinag-aaralan ng Bangsamoro study group kasama ang executive director kung ano ang gagawin ng Comelec," Garcia said.

(The Bangsamoro study group, together with the executive director, is currently studying the next steps for the Comelec.)

"Hindi pa masasabi kung tuloy o hindi ang March 30," he added.

(It cannot yet be determined whether the March 30 elections will push through.)

Supreme Court ruling

The Supreme Court (SC) in October 2025 ordered the postponement of the Bangsamoro elections originally scheduled for October 13 after declaring two districting laws—Bangsamoro Autonomy Acts (BAAs) 58 and 77—unconstitutional.

BAA 77, or the Bangsamoro Parliamentary Act of 2025, amended BAA 58 and redistricted vacant seats following an SC ruling excluding Sulu from the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region.

The SC also directed the Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA) to pass a redistricting bill by October 30 and instructed the Comelec to continue its preparations and conduct the Bangsamoro parliamentary elections no later than March 31, 2026.

In November 2025, the Comelec released the calendar of activities for the 2026 Bangsamoro elections, setting the inaugural polls on March 30.

While the Comelec initially said it could wait until November 30 for the passage of the redistricting law, the deadline lapsed without new legislation. The BTA later said it aimed to pass the measure by the end of 2025.

New election date

The Comelec has written to the House Committee on Suffrage and Electoral Reforms, requesting Congress to pass legislation fixing a new date for the Bangsamoro parliamentary elections.

Garcia said the poll body hopes the elections could be held either in May or September 2026, citing the need to begin preparations for the 2028 presidential elections in 2027.

"We must conduct the elections at all costs. May mga legal restrictions lang na pumapasok. Hindi kami willing mag-violate ng batas. That's an impeachable offense," he said.

(We must conduct the elections at all costs, but there are legal restrictions. We are not willing to violate the law because that would be an impeachable offense.) — VDV, GMA Integrated News