Comelec: Law resetting BARMM polls needed by March

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) on Monday said it hopes the measure resetting the first Bangsamoro parliamentary elections to September will be enacted before the end of March.

Comelec Chairperson George Erwin Garcia said the law is needed to give the elections body enough time to prepare and to resolve related petitions ahead of ballot printing.

“Sana bago matapos ang buwan ng Marso ito ay maging ganap na batas na sapagkat doon lang magsisimula ang Comelec para sa pag-require ng filing ng kandidatura ng mga tatakbo,” Garcia told reporters.

(We’re hoping it will be passed before the end of March, so Comelec can begin the filing of certificates of candidacy.)

Both chambers of Congress have approved their respective versions of the bill, moving the inaugural parliamentary elections to September 14, 2026. A bicameral conference committee was likewise held to reconcile disagreeing provisions of the bills, Garcia said.

“Kailangan ng batas. Hanggat walang batas, wala tayong petsa kung kailan gaganapin ang halalan. Pero ito ay certified as urgent ng Pangulo kaya minadali ng Kongreso,” he added.

(We need a law. Without it, there is no election date. The President certified the measure as urgent, which is why Congress expedited its passage.)

Garcia said preparations for the parliamentary polls are ongoing, but the Comelec may seek additional funding due to the expected increase in voters in the Bangsamoro region.

“May posibilidad na bago mag-March 30 umabot tayo ng dagdag na 150,000 na botante. Dagdag na botante, dagdag na presinto, ballot boxes, at makina,” he said.

(There could be an additional 150,000 voters before the end of March. More voters mean additional precincts, ballot boxes, and voting machines.)

Latest data from Comelec showed a total of 86,502 applicants registered to vote for the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE) and Bangsamoro Parliamentary Elections in the Bangsamoro region as of March 21. 

In January, the Comelec postponed the Bangsamoro parliamentary elections for the fourth time, citing legal and operational constraints following delays in the passage of the BARMM redistricting law.

In October 2025, the Supreme Court ordered the postponement of the polls originally scheduled for October 13 after declaring Bangsamoro Autonomy Acts 58 and 77 unconstitutional.

The court also directed the Bangsamoro Transition Authority to pass a new redistricting measure and instructed the Comelec to continue preparations and hold the elections no later than March 31, 2026. —LDF, GMA Integrated News