Article by:
Ferdinand Patinio
MANILA – The Commission on Elections (Comelec) is awaiting the passage of a law that will set the new date for the holding of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) Parliamentary Elections (BPE).
"Both the Senate and HoR versions set the 1st Parliamentary Elections in Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao on the second Monday of September 2026 (September 14, 2026). We are awaiting its passage into law," it said in a statement.
Senate Bill No. 1823 has already been passed in the third reading while House Bill No. 8220 was approved on second reading.
On the other hand, the Legal Network for Truthful Elections (LENTE) lauded the swift passage of these measures in both chambers of Congress.
"It is a welcome development for the rescheduling of the Bangsamoro elections in September 2026," said the poll watchdog group in a separate statement.
However, the poll watchdog said it is opposed to the measures' provisions with regards to the conduct of the next BPE.
The bill's Senate version mandates the holding of the next BPE on 2031 while the House version wants it to be held in 2029.
Instead, the group is pushing for the next polls to be held on May 2028, based on existing jurisprudence that the second BPE should be synchronized with the national and local elections on the second Monday of May 2028.
"After the September 2026 BARMM Parliamentary Elections, the succeeding elections must be held in May 2028," it said
"Proposals to hold the next elections in 2031 (Senate version) or 2029 (House version) depart from this principle and risk further disrupting the regular electoral cycle in the region," the group added. (PNA)
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