MANILA – The Commission on Elections (Comelec) on Thursday, September 25, declared it “legally and factually impossible” to conduct the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) Parliamentary Elections on the scheduled date of October 13, 2025.
Comelec Chair George Garcia confirmed that the poll body will hold a special en banc session today to deliberate on the next steps, with the Law Department already studying the legal implications of a possible postponement.
The announcement comes just 18 days before the slated elections, leaving more than 2.3 million registered voters in the Bangsamoro region in limbo. The elections, which would mark the first parliamentary polls in BARMM, are also pending a Supreme Court decision on the temporary restraining order (TRO) against the Bangsamoro Autonomy Act 77 or the BARMM redistricting law.
Meanwhile, civil society groups under the League of Bangsamoro Organizations (LBO) staged a protest outside the Comelec main office in Intramuros, Manila, and at the Supreme Court. They demanded that the elections push through on October 13, stressing that Bangsamoro voters must not be deprived of their right to choose their leaders.
“We believe that the truth and justice are on our side. Despite the challenges, the Bangsamoro people will prevail,” the groups said in a statement.
As the clock ticks closer to the scheduled polls, uncertainty looms over BARMM’s transition process, with Comelec’s forthcoming en banc decision and the Supreme Court ruling expected to determine whether or not the region’s historic parliamentary elections will take place as planned.