Senate OKs BARMM election postponement

February 3, 2025 | 6:53pm

MANILA, Philippines — The Senate on Monday, February 3, approved on the third and final reading a bill to postpone the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) elections.

The BARMM elections were initially set to coincide with the 2025 national elections in May. 

The Senate, with 18 votes in favor, one against, and no abstentions, approved the bill to postpone the elections.

“The first regular election for the Bangsamoro Government under this Organic Law shall be held on October 13, 2025. The next election shall be held and synchronized with the 2028 national elections and every three years thereafter,” the amendment read on Senate Bill 2942, which would reset the BARMM elections. 

Sen. Miguel Zubiri, one of the authors of the Bangsamoro Organic Law, explained his yes vote, citing the Supreme Court (SC) ruling that separates Sulu from BARMM as a reason for the postponement. 

“We need time to reconfigure the composition of the Bangsamoro parliament to address the parliamentary seats that would have belonged to Sulu,” Zubiri said. 

Sen. Bato Dela Rosa, who hails from Mindanao, also voted yes. 

“As we give BARMM the time that they need for their elections, we usher in both the passage of this bill as well as the continued efforts to secure peace in Mindanao,” Dela Rosa said. 

Senate Minority Leader Aquilino Pimentel III was the sole senator to vote no.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. certified the measure as urgent on January 29.

“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,” the Presidential Communications Office said in a statement explaining the president’s certification. 

In a landmark ruling in September 2024, the SC ruled that Sulu is not part of the BARMM.