EIGHT regional parliamentary political parties (RPPP) and 109 aspirants for parliamentary district representatives have formalized their bids for the May 2025 Bangsamoro Parliamentary Elections (BPE) after the week-long filing period set by the Commission on Elections (Comelec).
Data provided by the Comelec showed that 109 filed their certificates of candidacy (COCs) to run for parliamentary district representatives, while eight regional parliamentary political parties (RPPP) filed their certificates of acceptance of nomination (CANs) and List of Nominees.
In a phone interview, Comelec chairman George Garcia said they are pleased with the high number of aspirants and RPPPs amid the uncertainty surrounding the BPE 2025.
“The total number of aspirants is quite high considering that only 25 seats in the parliament is to be filled up, and the possibility of postponement and resetting is present,” said Garcia.
He is referring to Resolution No. 641 adopted by the Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA) urging the Senate and the House of Representatives to extend the transition period from 2025 to 2028 to prepare for a “smooth democratic transition adequately”.
Senate President Francis Escudero and House Speaker Martin Romualdez have filed their respective bills, with both seeking to postpone the BPE to May 11, 2026.
There are a total of 109 aspirants for parliamentary district representatives, including 41 in Lanao del Sur, 15 in Maguindanao del Norte, 15 in Maguindanao del Sur, 14 in Basilan, 10 in Tawi-Tawi, 9 in Cotabato City, and 5 in the Special Geographic Area (SGA) in Cotabato.
Under the Bangsamoro Electoral Code, there will be 25 parliamentary district seat allocations, with eight for Lanao del Sur, four in Maguindanao del Norte, four in Maguindanao del Sur, three in Basilan, three in Tawi-Tawi, two in Cotabato City, and one in the SGA in Cotabato province.
A total of eight regional parliamentary political parties, on the other hand, have filed their CAN and List of Nominees as well as Manifestation of Intent to Participate in the Parliamentary Elections (MIP-PE).
There are 40 seats for regional parliamentary political parties (RPPP) up for grabs come Election Day.
Aside from the high number of filers, the Commission said it is also happy over the overall conduct of the COC and CAN filing from November 4 to 9.
“The filing of the certificates of candidacy in the BARMM was generally peaceful as no untoward incident whatsoever happened and not a single form of disturbance occurred,” said Garcia.
