Comelec ready to hold BARMM polls if moved to September 2026

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) on Thursday said it will be prepared to conduct the first-ever parliamentary elections in Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) should it be moved to September this year. 

During the hearing of the Senate Subcommittee on Resetting the First Regular Elections in the BARMM, Comelec chairman George Erwin Garcia stressed that it is not feasible to set the elections in May due to some restrictions following the amendment of certain provisions of the election code.

“Meron silang binagong dalawa na sa aming palagay ay makaka-apekto sa timeline natin. ‘Yun pong sinet aside ng parliament ang lahat ng accredited na political parties. Ang nagpa-accredit po sa amin, ang accredited namin 10. Pito ang nag-manifest na magpa-participate sila sa parliamentary election,” Garcia said. 

(They amended two things that we think will affect our timeline. First is when the parliament set aside all the accredited political parties. We accredited 10, and seven have manifested that they will participate in the parliamentary election.) 

“Meaning to say, set aside ‘yung 10 and we’ll be opening up the accreditation process once again. Back to zero po tayo,” he added. 

(Meaning to say, the 10 will be set aside and we'll be opening up the accreditation process once again. We’ll go back to zero.)

The Comelec chair explained that it took the poll body almost three months to accredit the political parties in the region. 

“May isa pa silang binago din – ’yun pong lahat ng sectoral organizations na magpa-participate, supposedly originally sa assembly, ngayon ay directly to be elected, sinet aside din po lahat ng parliament at nag-back to zero po lahat,” Garcia said.

(They also changed one more thing – all the sectoral organizations that were supposed to participate, originally in the assembly and would directly be elected, were set aside by the parliament. We also went back to zero on this.) 

“We will have to likewise conduct a new accreditation. It will take us at least four months, depending on the number of filers of accreditation,” he added. 

Last month, the Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA) approved on third and final reading a redistricting law reallocating the seven parliamentary seats initially assigned to Sulu, clearing the way for the long-delayed inaugural Bangsamoro parliamentary elections.

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.

Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel “Migz” Zubiri, who presided over the hearing, acknowledged the need to postpone the elections, but he emphasized that it should not be delayed any further. 

“I am afraid that we will be slowly undoing our work of peace and progress in the Bangsamoro region. Instead, we will begin to breed unrest and disillusionment,” he said. 

Asked by Zubiri if the Comelec would already be satisfied if the BARMM polls were to be conducted by September, Garcia answered in the affirmative. 

“Yes, Mr. Chair, definitely. The Comelec can do it by September,” Garcia said. 

To recall, Zubiri filed a proposed measure resetting the 2025 BARMM parliamentary elections to March 30, 2026, as the schedule remains in limbo.

The bill also proposed that the next BARMM election would be synchronized with the 2028 national elections and every three years thereafter. — JMA, GMA Integrated News