A Peace Process Without a Democratic Finish Line
For more than seven years, the people of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) have lived under a promise repeatedly deferred. That promise was simple yet profound: that autonomy would culminate in democratic self-rule through the election of their own leaders. Instead, the region remains governed by an extended transition authority composed largely of presidential appointees. What was once justified as a temporary arrangement has now evolved into a prolonged political limbo. The repeated postponement of the first Bangsamoro Parliamentary elections has transformed a procedural issue into a serious crisis of legitimacy, governance, and peace.
The Bangsamoro peace process was built on the understanding that political inclusion and democratic participation would replace decades of armed conflict. Elections were intended to serve as the final institutional anchor of this transition. However, three postponements—initially explained by the pandemic, legal disputes, and redistricting challenges—have weakened public confidence. While each delay may have had technical justification, their cumulative effect has been corrosive. A transition without a clear endpoint risks becoming permanent. Autonomy, without electoral consent, becomes hollow.
The Erosion of Trust: A Slow-Burning Crisis
Independent election monitors have warned that the most dangerous consequence of these delays is the collapse of public trust. Atty. Benedicto “Benny” Bacani, Lead Convenor of the Independent Election Monitoring Center (IEMC) and Executive Director of the Institute for Autonomy and Governance (IAG), has repeatedly emphasized that frequent changes in election rules, unclear classifications of the polls, and inconsistent coordination between the Bangsamoro Transition Authority and the Commission on Elections have generated widespread confusion. In the eyes of ordinary citizens, shifting regulations and institutional disagreements appear less like administrative adjustments and more like political manipulation.
When electoral systems lose credibility, confidence in government institutions soon follows. Public uncertainty is compounded by conflicting interpretations of policies and unclear lines of authority. Without consistency and transparency, even well-intentioned reforms become suspect. Over time, confusion hardens into cynicism, and cynicism becomes political disengagement.
Youth, Radicalization, and the Vacuum of Hope
Climate Conflict Action has highlighted another critical dimension of the crisis: its impact on security and social stability. During Senate hearings, Liezl Bugtay, Chief of Mindanao Operations of Climate Conflict Action (CCAA), warned that prolonged delays are occurring in communities where economic opportunities are limited and historical grievances remain unresolved. She emphasized that if democratic institutions fail to deliver, Moro youth become vulnerable to recruitment by violent extremist groups that offer quick and destructive alternatives to political participation.
For young people who have been raised on promises of autonomy and development, continued postponements send a message of exclusion and betrayal. When democratic pathways appear blocked, alternative—and sometimes violent—forms of political expression become more attractive. Extremist groups thrive in environments where institutions are weak and legitimacy is contested. Each postponed election widens the gap between state promises and lived reality, creating fertile ground for radicalization and unrest.
The Problem of Rules, Representation, and Power
Beyond timing, the structure of the elections themselves has become a major point of contention. Questions remain unresolved regarding party systems, accreditation of sectoral groups, and the balance of authority between regional and national institutions. These uncertainties weaken transparency and undermine public confidence in the process.
Atty. Bacani has consistently criticized the at-large voting system for women, youth, and settler communities, warning that it remains highly vulnerable to capture by traditional political machinery. While designed to broaden participation, the system may instead concentrate power among political elites. Without robust safeguards, sectoral representation risks becoming symbolic rather than substantive, reinforcing rather than challenging existing power structures.
Administrative Failures and Institutional Responsibility
The Supreme Court’s nullification of earlier districting laws exposed serious weaknesses in institutional preparedness and coordination. The Bangsamoro Transition Authority’s failure to meet court-mandated deadlines left the Commission on Elections, under Chairman George Erwin Garcia, with insufficient time to organize credible elections and forced Congress into repeated amendments of the Bangsamoro Organic Law.
Responsibility has been fragmented across institutions, allowing delays to persist without clear accountability. Each agency cites legal or logistical constraints, yet the cumulative result is the same: no election. To ordinary citizens, this pattern signals not complexity, but systemic dysfunction.
The Case for Synchronization—and Its Limits
Some Bangsamoro lawmakers have proposed synchronizing the regional elections with the national and local polls in 2028. They argue that synchronization promotes constitutional consistency, administrative efficiency, and political stability. This position has been echoed by several members of the Bangsamoro Parliament and supported by references to Supreme Court rulings on synchronized elections.
However, synchronization would extend appointed governance to nearly a decade after BARMM’s creation. Such a prolonged transition raises fundamental democratic concerns. While administrative convenience is important, it cannot override the people’s right to timely political representation. Temporary arrangements, when repeatedly extended, lose their legitimacy. Stability achieved through delay risks becoming stagnation.
Voter Registration: A Fragile Window of Opportunity
The planned voter registration from February to May 2026, announced by COMELEC officials including Provincial Election Supervisor Atty. Muhammad Nabil Mutia, represents a rare opportunity to rebuild public confidence. It demonstrates institutional readiness and offers citizens a concrete pathway to participation. If managed transparently and inclusively, it can help restore faith in the electoral system.
Yet registration alone is insufficient. Without a firm and credible commitment to hold elections, mobilizing voters may deepen frustration. Participation cannot flourish in an environment where uncertainty remains the norm and postponement is expected.
The Cost of Delay: Peace at Risk
The continued postponement of elections carries serious implications for peace and security. In post-conflict regions, political uncertainty often fuels resentment and empowers spoilers. When legitimate political avenues are blocked, grievances find expression through informal, and sometimes violent, means.
Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel “Migz” Zubiri has repeatedly warned that prolonged uncertainty could trigger renewed instability and political violence. Senator Joseph Victor “JV” Ejercito has likewise emphasized that the Bangsamoro people have waited seven years to elect their leaders and that genuine peace is rooted in democratic participation. Their warnings reflect the historical reality that peace is sustained not by agreements alone, but by governance systems that command public trust.
Democracy as the Final Test of Autonomy
At its core, the crisis confronting BARMM is a crisis of credibility. Autonomy was granted to empower citizens, not to entrench appointed authority. Elections are not merely procedural exercises; they are the foundation of political legitimacy.
As Atty. Bacani of IEMC and IAG has emphasized, voting is not simply an act of participation. It is the source of governmental consent. Without it, laws lack moral authority, policies face resistance, and institutions struggle to govern effectively.
Conclusion: Time Is Running Out
The Bangsamoro democratic transition has reached a decisive moment. One path leads to further postponements, legal maneuvering, and managed uncertainty. It prioritizes administrative convenience over democratic urgency. The other path demands decisive reform, transparent coordination, stable rules, and political courage.
Each delay teaches citizens that their voices can wait. Each reset reinforces the belief that promises are negotiable. Each unresolved issue deepens public disillusionment. Democracy in BARMM is no longer merely delayed—it is operating on borrowed time.
The choice facing policymakers is stark. They can hold credible elections soon and restore faith in the peace process, or they can continue postponing and risk unraveling years of progress. In Bangsamoro today, the ballot is not merely a constitutional right. It is the final safeguard against a return to instability and conflict.