Bangsamoro parliament misses Comelec’s Nov. 30 districting law deadline

MANILA, Philippines — The Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA) failed to pass the districting law by its November 30 deadline but vowed on Monday to complete the law, crucial to the first parliamentary elections in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), before the year ends.

In a statement, BTA Parliament Floor Leader and spokesperson Atty. Jet Lim addressed the status of the BARMM districting law, saying the parliament “has been working with diligence, transparency, and broad public participation to enact the districting law.”

“The Parliament is committed to an inclusive, transparent, and legally compliant districting process and aims to complete and pass the districting law by December 2025, in line with the Bangsamoro Organic Law,” Lim added.

READ: Bangsamoro parliament urged to pass redistricting law by Nov. 30

Lim also noted that six versions of the districting bill are currently before the Parliament, with public consultations scheduled across the region in the first week of December.

Listed below is the schedule of the public consultations:

• December 4: Special Geographic Area, Maguindanao del Sur, Basilan
• December 7: Maguindanao del Norte, Lanao del Sur, and Cotabato City

The public consultation in Tawi-Tawi was already held on November 6.

However, following a previous recommendation from the Commission on Elections (Comelec), it will be “difficult” to hold the first BARMM elections if the parliament does not pass the redistricting law by the end of November.

Comelec Chair George Garcia said last week that they cannot conduct an automated Bangsamoro parliamentary election without the law in place.

READ: Comelec: BTA has until Nov. 30 to pass redistricting law

Garcia also said that the BARMM election may be at risk of being postponed again or conducted differently if preparations ahead of the scheduled election date are not completed.

The first iteration of the Bangsamoro Parliamentary Redistricting Act was voided by the Supreme Court for “violating the Bangsamoro Organic Law’s requirement that each district should comprise adjacent and adjoining areas as far as practicable.”

Following this, the high court mandated the BTA to enact a new districting law and hold the elections no later than March 31, 2026. /mcm