THE Commission on Elections (Comelec) yesterday said the question of whether or not the Bangsamoro Parliamentary Elections (BPE will proceed on October 13 will depend on the final decision of the Supreme Court (SC) on the legality of the Bangsamoro Autonomy Act (BAA) No. 77.
In a social media post, the Comelec belied online posts that it has assured that the October 13 polls in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) will push through as scheduled.
“All questions regarding the holding of the October 13 elections depend on the pending petition in the Supreme Court, and this is being closely watched and earnestly prayed for by the Comelec,” it said.
“The Comelec en banc decided on September 16 to suspend all preparations related to the October 13 BARMM Parliamentary Elections. The Comelec has no clear authority to continue the preparations,” it added.
The poll body said all its preparations for the Bangsamoro elections shall remain suspended until the SC takes a concrete action on the case.
“There is currently no clear authority under law for the Comelec to continue preparations for the elections pending the final resolution of the cases pending in the Supreme Court or whether the TRO will be lifted,” said the Comelec.
In a separate social media post, the poll body denied declaring that it has suspended all prohibitions relative to the BPE.
Reports have circulated online that the gun ban and other prohibitions in Bangsamoro have been lifted.
