‘Reopening of BARMM COC filing likely in areas affected by Sulu issue’

File picture of BARMM regional headquarters

MANILA, Philippines — The certificate of candidacy (COC) filing period for the postponed Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARRM) elections may only be reopened in areas affected by the reapportionment of seats for the province of Sulu, Commission on Elections (Comelec) chairman George Erwin Garcia said on Monday.

“I don’t want to preempt, but perhaps, at most, we could open the filing of candidacy in areas affected by reapportionment,” Garcia said in an ambush interview at Palacio del Gobernador on Monday, noting that this is not final yet.

Sulu voted against the ratification of the Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL), hence the Supreme Court ruled that the province is not part of the BARRM.

Sulu had seven seats in the BARRM parliament, and its departure from the autonomous region meant that its seat among the 80-member parliament became vacant.

Garcia noted that also included in President Ferdinand “Bongbong” R. Marcos Jr.’s order to reset BARRM polls is the provision that the COC filing for the autonomous elections shall not be reopened.

Section 4 of Republic Act No. 12123 signed by Marcos stated that: “New filings for certificates of candidacy or for manifestations of intent to participate with a list of nominees shall not be entertained: Provided, That the Comelec shall have the authority to issue appropriate guidelines on the filing of candidacies, in case the seats originally allocated to the Province of Sulu are reapportioned by the Bangsamoro Parliament.”

A total of 109 parliamentary seat aspirants filed their COCs in November last year. 

Prior to the new guidance, Garcia had said that these aspirants might have to refile their COCs.

The BARRM polls were supposed to be held concurrently on midterm elections on May 12.