2026 Bangsamoro polls postponed anew — Comelec's Garcia

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) en banc has postponed the inaugural Bangsamoro parliamentary elections, which was scheduled on March 30 this year. 

Comelec chairperson George Erwin Garcia made the announcement Wednesday, citing legal and operational constraints for the preparations and conduct of the first-ever parliamentary polls.

"Gusto kong i-announce na ang Comelec en banc sa pagtatapos ng aming session ay inaprubahan namin ang isang resolution kung saan opisyal naming dinedeklarang postponed ang March 30, 2026 Bangsamoro Parliamentary elections," Garcia told reporters.

(We want to announce the Comelec en banc approved a resolution declaring the postponement of the March 30 Bangsamoro polls.)

"Ito ay matapos mag-rekomenda ang aming executive director, law department and Bangsamoro study group na legally and operationally, hindi na kayang maisagawa ang elections sa March 30," he said.

(This is under the recommendation of our executive director, law department, and Bangsamoro study group saying that legally, and operationally, we cannot conduct the elections on March 30.)

Last week, Bangsamoro Interim Chief Minister Abdulraof Macacua signed into law Bangsamoro Proposed Bill No. 415, which defined the 32 parliamentary districts in the autonomous region. It will also now serve as the basis for the inaugural parliamentary elections.

Garcia, however, said the elections body hit legal and operational constraints with the delayed passage as he reiterated the new redistricting law was approved within the 120-day period prohibited under election laws.

"Una, legally sapagkat hindi na ito magco-comply o susunod sa instructions ng Supreme Court na pupwedeng magsagawa ang Comelec ng Bangsamoro elections kung hindi ito nasa loob ng 120 days bago ang elections," he said.

(First, it will be legally feasible because the new law was passed within 120 days before the elections.)

"Operationally, hindi na namin kaya ang isang buwan at dalawang linggo para isagawa ang halalan..Therefore, postponed ang halalan sa March 30 at ito ay maghihintay kami ng isang batas mula sa Kongreso na magfifix ng bagong date kung kailan magsasagawa ng halalan," Garcia added.

(Operationally, we cannot conduct the elections within one month and two weeks. Therefore, the March 30 polls is postponed and we will wait a law from Congress setting a new date for the elections.)

The Comelec previously wrote 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.

"Sana hindi 2027 ang Bangsamoro parliamentary elections at sana 'wag na 2028 na kasbay ng national and local elections para makapagfocus ang mga kababayan natin sa paghahalalal ng presidente at vice-president," he added.

(We hope that it won't be in 2027 and not in 2028 coinciding with the national and local elections so the public can focus in electing our president and vice president.)

Meanwhile, Garcia said the election period and its prohibitions, including the gun ban, are lifted following the deferment of the BARMM polls.

"Ginawa na natin lahat nang nararapat kung kaya lang may mga factors na di kayang kontrolin ng Comelec. Ngayon, naghihintay kami ng batas kung kailan ang pagse-set ng Congress ng [araw ng eleksyon]," he added.

(We did everything but there are factors 

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 not 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. — RSJ, GMA Integrated News