Comelec affirms Oct. 13, 2025 date for BARMM polls
The Commission on Elections holds a stakeholders’ meeting in relation to the BARMM Parliamentary elections set to be held on October 13, 2025. INQUIRER.net / MARY JOY SALCEDO
MANILA, Philippines — Commission on Elections (Comelec) Chair George Garcia has reiterated that the first Bangsamoro Parliamentary elections will push through on October 13, 2025.
Garcia said this during the meeting with stakeholders on Friday at the Palacio del Gobernador Building in Intramuros, Manila.
“Let’s proceed with the October 13 Bangsamoro Parliamentary Election. Don’t let others doubt or say it won’t be held. Or just in case, there might be strategies or whatever attempts to hold it,” Garcia said in Filipino.
“The Comelec will proceed with the conduct of the election in the Bangsamoro by October 13, and that is very, very clear. That is what is clearly and clearly being done by your Commission on Election,” he added in a mix of Filipino and English.
As for the pending decision of the parliament on the Sulu issue, Garcia said the Comelec can no longer wait on the decision of reallocating seven parliamentary seats originally for Sulu province, as it may delay the preparations for the elections.
READ: BARMM rushes parliament seats redistricting ahead of polls
“The 80, that’s what the law says, the Comelec has no choice to comply with the 80. But at this point, how can the Comelec comply with the 80 when there is no law yet with distributing or reapportioning the seven original seats coming from Sulu? The Comelec has no power to reapportion,” Garcia said partly in Filipino.
“Sa part po ng Comelec, ang hirap po din talagang maghintay (It’s really hard to wait). That’s why, in the meantime, we are proceeding with our preparation sa 73 seats,” he added.
Nonetheless, Garcia also said that as the Comelec proceeds for the 73 seats as tentative seats for the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) elections.
“If somebody would like to go to the Supreme Court in the meantime, yes, they can go to the Supreme Court. They can question the action of the Comelec,” said Garcia.
“But we are not saying that it is only 73. What we are saying is, okay, 73. And we will act accordingly based on the developments in the coming days. Let’s see if we can still fit it into the timeline. Let’s see if the Commission on Election can still adjust the dates,” he added mostly in Filipino.
READ: Comelec gearing up for BARMM polls in October
The Bangsamoro Parliament is currently gearing up for the passage of a regional law that reallocates seven parliamentary seats originally for Sulu province after the province ceased to be part of the BARMM. /jpv
