THE House of Representatives yesterday approved on final reading Speaker Martin Romualdez’s bill postponing for a year the first general elections in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).
Lawmakers voted 198-4 with no abstention in favor of House Bill No. 11444, which seeks to move the BARMM elections from May 12, 2025 to May 11, 2026. The region’s elections will be held every three years thereafter.
Romualdez underscored the need to postpone the BARMM polls, saying Congress has “to ensure a well-prepared and effective transition for the Bangsamoro people, aligned with the request of the Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA) and recent developments in the region.”
The co-authors of the deferment bill include Senior Deputy Speaker Aurelio Gonzales Jr. of Pampanga; Majority Leader Manuel Jose Dalipe; Ilocos Norte Rep. Ferdinand Alexander “Sandro” Marcos; Deputy Speaker Yasser Alonto Balindong; Reps. Zia Alonto Adiong of Lanao del Sur; Bai Dimple Mastura of Maguindanao del Norte; Munir Arbison Jr. of Sulu; and Yedda K. Romualdez and Jude Acidre of Tingog party-list.
Senate President Francis Escudero has also filed a counterpart measure in the Senate and if the measure is adopted, it will be the second time for the BARMM elections to be postponed.
In 2021, then President Rodrigo Duterte signed a measure postponing the 2022 BARMM elections to give the BTA more time to implement the Bangsamoro Organic Law (Republic Act No. 11054) amid the delays and restrictions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Speaker and the other House leaders filed the bill after the BTA last October passed a resolution requesting for the extension of the transition period to 2028 following a Supreme Court decision which ruled that Sulu is not part of the BARMM.
The BTA cited the remaining work that remains to be done to ensure a successful shift to a fully functioning, democratically elected regional government such as passing important laws, building institutions and creating systems needed to support the future BARMM government.
The bill said the exclusion of Sulu has created a “legal vacuum” in the composition of the BARMM Parliament’s, particularly in the allocation of parliamentary district seats.
Romualdez said that by aligning with the BTA’s call for an extended transition, the proposed postponement seeks to give the BARMM Parliament time to adjust its composition and allow the BTA to “facilitate a smoother transition without the disruption of unresolved legal and administrative issues.”
The bill said the one-year deferment will also provide time for the BTA to work closely with various sectors in the region to address electoral readiness and voter education, thereby ensuring that the Bangsamoro people are fully prepared to participate in a democratic process that truly reflects their will.
Under the bill, the President shall appoint the 80 new interim members of BTA, who shall serve until their successors shall have been elected and qualified.
The term of office of the present BTA members shall be deemed expired.
