27/01/2025
Update ko BARMM election2025 postponement
The Senate on Wednesday night, Jan. 27, closed its interpellation on the bill postponing the first regular elections in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) from May 12 to Aug. 11 this year.
Senate Bill No. 2942 could still face amendments as senators expressed that a three-month extension will not be enough to resolve electoral issues caused by Suluโs exclusion from the region.
Sen. Joseph Victor Ejercito, sponsor of the measure, admitted that three months was his committeeโs โcompromiseโ for those supporting and opposing the postponement of the BARMM elections, but that it is โtoo short.โ
โMy recommendation is that one year will give them enough time already to be able to do all of these things that need to be done to address all these legal issues,โ said Ejercito, chair of the committee on local government.
House Bill (HB) No. 11144, the lower chamberโs counterpart measure, seeks to defer the parliamentary elections to May 11, 2026. A one-year extension is also the position of the Office of the Presidential Adviser for Peace, Reconciliation and Unity.
Ejercito also pushed for the current members of the interim Bangsamoro government to have a holdover term.
โIt will be advisable for them to be on a holdover because if the President would still appoint new Members of Parliament, sayang po yung oras. (There is a) learning curve. Wala na ho silang magagawa in so short a time,โ he said.
HB 11144, on the other hand, seeks to change the composition of the Bangsamoro Transition Authority once the law is approved.
In the Senate version, only individuals who filed their certificates of candidacy in October last year will be recognized. But this can still change if the elections are extended next year. The House version is silent on the matter.
โAccording to the Comelec (Commission on Elections) earlier โ we had a discussion โ if it reaches about six months to one year, it is possible toโฆ reopen the filing of the certificates of candidacy. But if itโs less than six months, kung three months po talagang matutuloy na po or shorter, hindi na ho pwede,โ Ejercito said.
The Senate has to pass the bill before it adjourns on Feb. 7.