Comelec warns vs. vote-buying as campaigning in BARMM starts Aug. 28, 2025

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) issued a strong warning against vote-buying in the Bangsamoro Region a day ahead of the start of the 60-day campaign period for the first-ever parliamentary elections. 

The campaign period for the 2025 BARMM polls is set to start on Thursday, August 28 until October 11, 2025. 

“Hindi kami papayag na mamayagpag ang vote-buying. Yan ang kauna-unahan namin na lalabanan…We will not hesitate to disqualify candidates katulad nang pinatunayan na namin. Hindi rin kami magdadalawang isip na file-an sila na mga kasong kriminal,” Garcia told reporters. 

(We will not allow vote-buying to prevail in the region. That’s the first thing we will curb. We will not hesitate to disqualify candidates like we previously did. We will not think twice to file criminal cases against them.)

“We will always use the full force of the law against anybody who uses vote-buying to thwart the will of the electorate in the Bangsamoro parliamentary elections,” he said. 

The Comelec will implement the policies and resolutions for the May 12 elections in the Bangsamoro region during the campaign period. This includes the reactivation of its special committees, and task forces such as the Task Force Kontra Bigay, Task Force  Katotohanan, Katapatan, at Katarungan (KKK), and Task Force Safeguarding Against Fear and Exclusion in Elections (SAFE). 

“Mula sa araw ng start ng campaign period, ipapatupad na natin fully ang lahat ng batas natin sa halalan lalo na sa mga kandidato at partido politikal,” Garcia added. 

(Once the campaign period starts, we will fully impose all election laws, especially on candidates and political parties.)

Meanwhile, the following activities will be prohibited in the Bangsamoro region during the campaign period: 

• Giving donations by a candidate, his or her spouse, or any relative within the second civil degree of consanguinity or affinity, or his campaign manager, or representative
• Appointment or use of special policemen, confidential agents, or persons performing similar functions.
• Appointment or hiring of new employees, creation of new positions in a government agency, or instrumentality, whether national or local, including government-owned or controlled corporations, except upon prior authority of the Commission
• Promotion or giving of salary increases, remuneration, or privileges to any government official or employee, including those in government-owned or controlled corporations
• Release, disbursement, expenditures of public funds, except those enumerated in Section or 261 (v) of the Omnibus Election Code (OEC)
• Construction of public works, delivery of materials for public works except for projects or works exempted in Section 261 (v) of the OEC, and the issuance of treasury warrants or similar documents
•  Removal, destruction, obliteration, or in any manner defacing or tampering with, or preventing the distribution of lawful election propaganda
• Use of armored land, water or air craft
• Policemen and guards acting as bodyguards or security guards performing similar functions

Ballot printing to resume

The Comelec is also set to resume the printing of the official ballots as well as the ballots for the final testing and sealing (FTS), and pre-election logic and accuracy test (Pre-LAT) on Thursday, October 28. 

This developed days after the poll body suspended the printing following the approval of a proposed BARMM parliament bill redistributing the seven seats originally alloted to the province of Sulu. 

“Bukas ng umaga sisimulan muli namin ang printing ng balota. We adopted a resolution ngayong lamang araw na ito na kung saan sinasabi natin na itutuloy na natin ang paghahanda ng halalan base sa 73 na distrito,” said Garcia. 

(We will resume the printing of the ballots tomorrow morning. We adopted a resolution today stating we will resume preparations based on 73 districts.)

Garcia said there will be a status quo on all of the preparations of the Comelec, including the scheduled timetable for the deployment of election equipment and paraphernalia. 

“Sana wag ma-blame ang Bangsamoro parliament. Ginawa nila ang nararapat kaya lang maaaring maraming issue na kailangan ma-resolve lalo na sa paglilipat ng pangalan from one district to another district. Maraming argumento, debate sa mga bagay na ganyan,” he said.

(We hoped the Bangsamoro government would not be blamed. They are doing their mandate but there are a lot of issues to be resolved, especially on the issue of transferring names to another district. There will be a lot of arguments and debate there.)

BARMM polls

The Bangsamoro polls was reset from May 12 to October 13, 2025 after President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr.  in February signed into law the measure postponing the first-ever parliamentary elections. 

The suspension came months after the Supreme Court (SC), in September 2024, upheld the validity of the Bangsamoro Organic Law but declared that Sulu was not part of BARMM. The Court denied motions seeking the reversal of the decision in November 2024.

The SC ruling necessitated the redistribution of the seven vacated seats originally allocated to Sulu under the Bangsamoro Electoral Code. However, the Bangsamoro government has yet to issue a decision on the reallocation.—LDF, GMA Integrated News