Bicam adopts proposed 5-month postponement of BARMM elections

February 4, 2025 , 07:38 PM

By Clarist Mae Zablan

(February 4, 2025) – The bicameral conference committee on Tuesday agreed on a proposal to postpone by five months the first-ever Bangsamoro parliamentary election, as the lawmakers deliberated on a bill seeking to reset the election over legal and security issues.

The panel adopted the Senate version on the proposed date of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) election to Oct. 13.

The upcoming BARMM election is currently set on May 12 this year, simultaneously with the country’s national and local elections.

Senate Pres. Chiz Escudero, the principal author of the bill in the upper house, stressed that BARMM’s first-ever parliamentary elections must push through.

“Ang pangunahing rason kung bakit ni-reset ito (BARMM elections) ay security reasons. Manipis ang reallocation o allocation ng ating security forces,” Escudero told reporters.

“Sapat na panahon ang hiningi ng security at election officials natin para ma-reposition ‘yung ating security and election officials, para matiyak na ‘yung kauna-unahang halalan sa BARMM ay tunay na magiging malinis, kapani-paniwala at mapayapa.”

Both chambers of Congress are expected to adopt the measure on the same day, he said.

The measure came after a Supreme Court ruling excluded Sulu from BARMM. Proponents of the bill, including Escudero, said that officials needed more time for structural adjustments after the exclusion of the province.

Pres. Bongbong Marcos certified the bill as urgent last week. In a statement, Malacañang said recent “legal development” called for a need to “address the urgent need of the Bangsamoro transitional government to realign its governance structure.”

“It will also ensure that the region’s aspirations for unity, inclusivity, and genuine autonomy are achieved,” the Presidential Communications Office (PCO) said on Jan. 29.

(With reports from Maeanne Los Baños-Oroceo, News5)

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