Comelec lifts BARMM election bans after Supreme Court ruling

The Commission on Elections posted its official statement posted on X on Saturday, October 4, 2025. — Photo from Comelec

MANILA, Philippines — The Commission on Elections (Comelec) announced the lifting of all election prohibitions in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) on Saturday, Oct. 4.

In a statement, Comelec said the move complied with the Supreme Court’s decision striking down Bangsamoro Autonomy Act Nos. 58 and 77 as unconstitutional.

READ: Comelec says more than P1B wasted as it restarts preps for BARMM polls

“Relative [to] the decision of the Honorable Supreme Court in the consolidated cases of G.R. No. E-02219 and G.R. No. E-02235 in connection with the conduct of the October 13, 2025 BARMM Parliamentary Elections, the Commission on Elections has resolved the following,” it said.

The lifted bans include prohibitions on the bearing, carrying, or transporting of firearms and other deadly weapons across BARMM, including Isabela City in Basilan.

Comelec added it would also modify the calendar of activities for the BARMM parliamentary elections, which must be held no later than March 31, 2026, once the Bangasamoro Transition Authority complies with the High Court’s directive on setting parliamentary districts.

Recently, Comelec acknowledged that over P1 billion had been wasted as it now has to redo all of its preparations given the need for a new redistricting law. /das