Calls mount vs further delay of BARMM polls

COTABATO CITY — Calls have mounted against new proposals to further delay the holding of the first-ever parliamentary elections in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).

This came as three members of the regional parliament pushed for the elections to be held in 2028, synchronized with the country’s general elections.

READ: Peace adviser stands by push for 2026 BARMM polls

During hearings in the House of Representatives and the Senate for measures setting a new schedule for the oft-postponed regional elections, the emerging consensus is a date in September this year.

“Any additional delay will undermine the democratic transition, erode public trust in institutions, and contradict both the spirit and intent of the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB),” the Coalition for Social Accountability and Transparency (CSAT) said in a statement they called “The Dusit Davao Declaration.”

The CSAT is composed of 40 civil society organizations and academic institutions operating across the BARMM.

“The conduct of regular, credible, and peaceful elections is not optional-it is a binding commitment jointly undertaken by the Government of the Philippines and Bangsamoro leadership, and is essential to completing the democratic transition envisioned in the peace process,” CSAT said.

CSAT expresses its full and unequivocal support for Senate Bill No. 1587 and House Bill No. 7236, which set the first Bangsamoro Parliamentary Elections on the second Monday of September 2026.

Maulana Balangi, national president of One Bangsamoro Movement (1BANGSA), said they support Senate Bill No. 1587.

“This measure speaks to an urgent national truth,” he said.

Balangi noted that Bangsamoro elections have already been postponed repeatedly; from the now-defunct Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) to the current BARMM, the Bangsamoro elections have been postponed 11 times.

“Delay after delay erodes trust, weakens institutions, and threatens peace,” Balangi said.

Earlier, Deputy Speaker Jose Lorena, Floor Leader John Anthony Lim, and parliament member Khalid Abdullah issued a joint statement on Feb. 7 that holding the first parliamentary elections in 2028 would help ensure compliance with the Constitution and existing laws. /das