Bill seeking to postpone BARMM parliamentary polls filed at Senate

MANILA, Philippines — A bill seeking to defer the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao’s (BARMM) parliamentary polls from 2025 to 2026 has been filed at the Senate.

Senate President Chiz Escudero filed Senate Bill 2862 on Monday, formalizing his earlier pronouncement to postpone BARMM’s parliamentary polls in view of the recent Supreme Court ruling excluding Sulu from the region.

READ: In Senate, Escudero to file bill seeking to postpone BARMM polls 

In his bill, Escudero said BARMM’s first parliamentary election is scheduled for 2025, but he proposed to move it to May 11, 2026, to allow the region to reconfigure its jurisdictions as well as reallocate the seats of its 80-member parliament following the High Court’s ruling cutting off Sulu from the BARMM.

“Importanteng magawa ‘yan para mabigyan ng notipikasyon na ang ating mga kababayan dun sa BARMM kaugnay ng balak ng Kongreso na ipagpaliban ang eleksyon, at ang pangunahing dahilan ay ang desisyon ng Korte Suprema kaugnay ng lalawigan ng Sulu,” said Escudero in a separate statement also issued Monday.

(It is important to do that so that the people in the BARMM can be notified regarding the intention of Congress to postpone the election, and the main reason is the decision of the Supreme Court regarding the province of Sulu.)

The Senate chief said he is optimistic that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. will certify his proposal as urgent, noting the importance of the measure and the tight schedule of the Senate and the House of Representatives for the remainder of the 19th Congress.

At the Senate, Escudero assured that hearings regarding the proposed bill would “also serve to clarify the issues surrounding the move of the Bangsamoro Transition Authority parliament to create a new province called the Kutawato Province, consisting of eight newly-formed municipalities that were part of the Special Geographic Area in the BARMM.”

READ: Zubiri warns of possible backlash if Barmm polls postponed 

Before filing such a measure, ousted Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri had warned of possible “backlash” should the BARMM parliamentary elections in May 2025 be postponed. He said an extension is not popular with the locally elected leaders, hence there is a need to thoroughly check such a proposal.