Marcos OKs law resetting BARMM polls to September 14

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Wednesday signed the law resetting the first regular elections in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) to September 14, 2026.

Republic Act 12317 stated that “the first regular election for the Bangsamoro Government under this Organic Law shall be held on the second Monday of September 2026.”

To synchronize the BARMM parliamentary elections with the national and local elections, succeeding BARMM elections will be held on the second Monday of May 2031 and every three years thereafter.

The first elected BARMM officials will serve a five-year term starting from noon of October 30, 2026 to noon of June 30, 2031.

“Beginning 2031, the elected officials shall assume office at noon on the 30th day of June following their election,” the law said.

“The Parliament shall hold its regular session on the day immediately following the elected officials’ assumption of office,” it added.

The Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA) will serve as the interim government during the transition period, unless the President replaces them or they are elected to a different office.

Like the May 2025 national and local elections, the first Bangsamoro election will be conducted through an automated election system.

Meanwhile, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) is tasked with issuing the rules and guidelines for filing certificates of candidacy, submitting the list of nominees, obtaining certificates of acceptance from political parties or coalitions, and determining the new period of filing.

The Comelec will also shoulder the expenses necessary for the implementation of the BARMM polls, but the Bangsamoro government may provide additional funding. 

In January, Comelec postponed the first-ever Bangsamoro elections for the fourth time, citing “legal and operational” constraints after the passage of the BARMM redistricting law was delayed.

In October 2025, the Supreme Court (SC) ordered the postponement of the Bangsamoro elections originally set for October 13. The High Court declared two districting laws – Bangsamoro Autonomy Acts (BAA) 58 and 77 – unconstitutional.

BAA 77, or the Bangsamoro Parliamentary Act of 2025, amended BAA 58 and redistricted vacant seats following a SC ruling in 2024 that excluded Sulu from the Bangsamoro region.

In a resolution issued last week, the Comelec en banc extended the filing period for the registration and accreditation of regional political parties and parliamentary sectoral organizations seeking seats in the Bangsamoro parliamentary elections.

It approved moving the deadline for filing petitions for registration and accreditation to April 6, 2026 due to the observance of Eid al-Fitr and Holy Week.

The Comelec initially set the filing period for the registration and accreditation from March 17 to March 20.

Over the weekend, Comelec chairperson George Garcia said the agency’s expenses for the BARMM election may increase by up to 25% due to rising fuel prices since ballot machines and their batteries are transported by sea. The poll body also plans to print the ballots from June to July. — JMA, GMA Integrated News