Marcos vows first BARMM elections will push through in September

MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Wednesday vowed that the long-delayed first Bangsamoro parliamentary elections will finally push through on Sept. 14.

In March, Marcos signed into law a measure resetting the first regular elections in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) to Sept. 14, 2026, after the Supreme Court struck down the region’s redistricting laws, making the original October 2025 schedule legally impossible.

READ: Marcos signs law resetting BARMM elections

“These provide the necessary legal and administrative adjustments to ensure an orderly, credible, and inclusive electoral process,” the president said in his speech at the Bawat Bayan Makikinabang and the Bangsamoro Government Convergence Program in Maguindanao del Norte.

“We are determined that we will push through with the second Monday of September — in the coming September — and to finally achieve our dream, our goal of being able to say that we have a duly elected parliament in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao,” he added.

The first Bangsamoro parliamentary elections, originally scheduled for May 2022, were postponed several times, most recently after the Supreme Court struck down two Bangsamoro districting laws as unconstitutional.

Under the Bangsamoro Organic Law, voters will elect 40 party representatives, 32 district representatives, and eight sectoral representatives.

The term of office for officials elected in the BARMM parliamentary elections will begin at noon on Oct. 30, 2026, and end on June 30, 2031. Starting in 2031, elected officials will assume office at noon on June 30 following their election.

Marcos said the government remains committed to preserving the religious and cultural traditions of the Muslim community.

READ: Security intensified in 27 red-category areas ahead of BARMM polls

“Through the Iftar Program, we ensure that sociocultural and socioeconomic initiatives reach communities in ways that are respectful of their faith and traditions,” he said.

“From January 2025 to May 2026, we provided social and basic services—including relief assistance, burial assistance, and medical missions—to more than 18,200 beneficiaries. Over the past two years, we have also extended assistance to more than 26,800 Hajj registrants,” he added.

During the event, Marcos led the ceremonial turnover of assistance to Bangsamoro ministries, offices, and agencies, as well as the ceremonial turnover of Socio-Civic Projects Fund assistance to the Cotabato City government and the provincial governments of BARMM.

Each barangay in BARMM received P200,000 in assistance, with half of the amount allocated for presidential scholars. /mcm