P2.5 billion needed if BARMM parliamentary elections delayed – Comelec

MANILA, Philippines — The Commission on Elections (Comelec) will need at least P2.5 billion if the first Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) Parliamentary elections are rescheduled to a later date, according to Comelec Chairman George Garcia on Thursday.

Garcia said holding the BARMM polls synchronously with the national and local elections has saved funds.

READ: Comelec: No stopping BARMM polls unless postponed by Congress

“Ang Bangsamoro Parliamentary elections ay nakasakay lang sa kasalukuyan sa national and local elections, kaya nakatipid tayo ng gastos sapagka’t parehas na teacher, parehas na machine, parehas na ballot box, lahat ng gamit, except ‘yung balota,” Garcia said in an interview at the Palacio del Gobernador in Intramuros, Manila.

(The Bangsamoro Parliamentary elections are anchored on the national and local elections, allowing us to save on costs as we use the same teachers, machines, ballot boxes, and other equipment, except for the ballots.)

“Kung sakali pong magseparate tayo ng eleksyon, parang as if ito ay panibagong eleksyon and therefore, mangangailangan ang Comelec ng mga at least P2.5 billion,” Garcia added.

(If the elections were to be held separately, it would essentially be considered a new election, and therefore, the Comelec would need at least P2.5 billion.)

Garcia also noted that the poll body will need to assess whether the rescheduling of the election will require the reopening of the filing of certificates of candidacy.

Further, he said that the move would defer the printing of approximately 2.3 million ballots for the parliamentary elections.

Senate Bill No. 2942, or a bill seeking to reset the parliamentary elections to August 11, 2025, reached the Senate plenary on Wednesday.

The bill amends Article XVI, Section 13 of the Republic Act No. 11054, or the Bangsamoro Organic Law, to synchronize future elections with the 2028 polls and three years thereafter.

READ: Bill rescheduling BARMM polls to August 2025 reached Senate plenary

Senate Deputy Majority Leader JV Ejercito, one of the bill’s sponsors, said that the “bill does not seek to deny anyone their right to vote” but instead “proposes a reasonable adjustment to give the Commission on Elections significant time to prepare and the current Bangsamoro Transition Authority to wind up their transactions.”

Garcia previously said that the poll body is ready whether or not the Bangsamoro polls are rescheduled.