Comelec suspends printing of ballots for Bangsamoro polls
File Photo
MANILA, Philippines — The Commission on Elections (Comelec) on Wednesday suspended the printing of official ballots for the Bangsamoro parliamentary elections “until further notice” following the approval of a bill redistributing the seven parliamentary district seats originally allotted to Sulu province.
Initially, the Comelec had scheduled the printing of official ballots for the provinces of Basilan and Tawi-tawi, as well as the Special Geographic Area, for Thursday.
However, because of “the most recent development concerning the passage on third and final reading of the Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA) Parliament Bill No. 351,” the Comelec said it would be postponing the printing to a “later date” to “further study the implications of the approved bill.”
Parliament Bill No. 351 seeks to amend the Bangsamoro Autonomy Act No. 58, which was passed by the BTA Parliament in February last year, which had apportioned seven parliamentary district seats for the province of Sulu.
The Supreme Court later ruled in September that Sulu was not a part of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), after the province rejected the ratification of the Bangsamoro Organic Law through a plebiscite held in 2019.
READ: Marcos: ‘Failed Bangsamoro polls not an option’
The Bangsamoro Organic Law provided for the establishment of the BARMM as a political entity and its corresponding basic governmental structure, according to the high court.
Under Parliamentary Bill No. 351, the parliamentary district seats will be redistributed as follows:
- nine for Lanao del Sur
- five for Maguindanao del Norte
- five Maguindanao del Sur
- four for Basilan
- four for Tawi-Tawi
- three for Cotabato City
- two for the Special Geographic Area
Originally, Lanao del Sur was given eight parliamentary seats; Maguindanao del Norte and Maguindanao del Sur each had four; Basilan and Tawi-tawi each had three; Cotabato City had two; and the Special Geographic Area had one; with Sulu having seven seats.
In a press release, the BTA said the bill was approved on Tuesday night, Aug. 19, after Chief Minister Abdulraof Macacua certified the measure as urgent.
Comelec Chair George Erwin Garcia, in an ambush interview on Wednesday, said that the agency was waiting to get a copy of the approved bill to find out if the redistribution will take effect in this year’s elections or the 2028 elections.
“We want to know if that news is true, because if it is, it will be a solution to our problem,” Garcia said.
READ: Election monitor backs Comelec’s push for BARMM polls in October
The Comelec chief lamented that the agency was pressed for time in regard to preparations for the Bangsamoro elections. Garcia pointed out that the bill, despite being passed on the third and final reading, would still need to be signed by the chief minister before being published.
Once it becomes a law, Garcia said, there would need to be a filing of certificates of candidacy because of the redistribution. This will affect the printing of the ballots that contain the names and the photos of the candidates.
Despite this, Garcia said that the Bangsamoro parliamentary elections would push through — with or without the redistribution of the seven parliamentary seats of Sulu.
“Again, what is important is it will push through, whether it’s 73 or 80 seats, our fellow Filipinos should expect to go to their voting precincts on Oct. 13,” Garcia said. /atm
