BARMM election reset gains traction with Marcos’ certification

COTABATO CITY, Philippines – President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has certified as urgent a bill resetting the first regular parliamentary elections of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), a move seen as a show of support for the region’s transition.

The Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), which leads the interim Bangsamoro government, hopes that a longer period granted by Congress for rescheduling the elections will allow better preparation for the region’s first parliamentary polls.

“Five months or three months is too short. One more year is good,” Mohagher Iqbal, the MILF’s chief negotiator and information chief, told Rappler on Wednesday, January 29.

Iqbal, who also heads the BARMM’s Ministry of Basic, Higher and Technical Education, joined Chief Minister Ahod Murad Ebrahim and other key parliament officials in Senate hearings on the extension and rescheduling of the elections.

The Lower House’s version, House Bill No. 11144, moves the election from May 12, 2025, to May 11, 2026. Meanwhile, Senate Bill No. 2942, which has passed the second reading, sets the election for October 13, 2025.

“There will be a bicameral report, the Senate and [House of Representatives] will discuss since they have different versions, but the fact is it is a certified urgent bill. Most likely, there will be a compromise on the length of extension,” Iqbal said.

BARMM Speaker Pangalian Balindong said the regional government is prepared to accept whatever decision is made.

“The Bangsamoro government stands ready to accept whatever decision is made. I assure you that we will not waver in our duty to our people. Despite the debates and challenges, we continue our work with a sense of purpose,” Balindong said.

BARMM parliament member Baintan Ampatuan said Marcos’ certification signaled the national government’s commitment to the region’s peace and development.

“This certification underscores the national government’s commitment to ensuring that the Bangsamoro electoral process is not only democratic but also conducted under conditions that promote stability, inclusivity, and genuine representation,” said Lanao del Sur 1st District Representative Zia Alonto Adiong.

Senate President Francis Escudero said he expected the bill to pass the third reading next week, even without Marcos’ certification.

“But if necessary, we will use the certification,” Escudero said.

He added: “Given recent legal developments surrounding the issue, the President said the move would address the urgent need of the Bangsamoro transitional government to realign its governance structure. It will also ensure that the region’s aspirations for unity, inclusivity, and genuine autonomy are achieved.”

Senator Aquilino Pimentel III was the lone senator who voted against the extension, arguing that the BARMM election had already been postponed once in 2022 and that another reset would permanently desynchronize it from the national elections.

The Muslim-majority region was established in February 2019 following a plebiscite in which residents voted to ratify the Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL), replacing the now-defunct Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM).

One province, Sulu, was excluded from the region based on a Supreme Court decision in 2024 because it rejected the BOL in 2019.

Senator Juan Miguel Zubiri said he was for a six-month extension, and a plebiscite in Sulu before that to give the province a chance to be reintegrated into the BARMM.

Originally, the first BARMM elections were scheduled for May 9, 2022, but were postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. – Rappler.com