Manila, Philippines — The Commission on Elections (COMELEC) has outlined the reasons behind the proposal to postpone the inaugural parliamentary elections in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), originally scheduled for May 2025.
COMELEC Chairman George Erwin Garcia explained that delaying the election would allow the Bangsamoro Parliament to address important legal and technical issues affecting the region. A recent Supreme Court decision separating Sulu from BARMM has added to the complexity, requiring a re-evaluation of seat allocation within the Bangsamoro Parliament.
Garcia highlighted that the main issue involves resolving the allocation of parliamentary districts to ensure proper representation for BARMM’s residents. He also pointed to ongoing challenges regarding sectoral representatives, who are meant to be elected through an assembly. The Bangsamoro Electoral Office (BEO) has yet to release guidelines on organizing this assembly and conducting elections for sectoral seats.
Another concern involves eight municipalities in the Special Geographic Area (SGA) that lack provincial and legislative district classifications. Without such designations, residents in these municipalities would be unable to participate in the election, as was the case in previous elections. Garcia noted that COMELEC lacks the authority to establish new provinces, which requires an act of Congress under the Philippine Constitution.
Although COMELEC is prepared to conduct elections in 2025, Garcia hopes that these issues facing the BARMM regional government will be addressed before the first parliamentary elections proceed.
