NEWS
6November
Senate President Francis Escudero/Senate PRIB/File photo
BARMM elections face another postponement as lawmakers file bill to delay polls to 2026
- Nov 6, 2024
- Taher G. Solaiman
- HITS: 181
House Bill 11034, authored by Speaker Martin Romualdez and Lanao del Sur 1st District Representative Zia Adiong, echoes a similar proposal introduced by Senate President Francis Escudero in the Senate the previous day. Both measures aim to move the BARMM elections from 2025 to 2026, citing the Supreme Court's September ruling that excluded Sulu province from the region.
The proposed postponement comes as the Commission on Elections (Comelec) has begun accepting certificates of candidacy (COCs) for the 2025 midterm elections, including those seeking seats in the BARMM parliament. The filing period, which started on Monday, will run until Saturday, November 9.
Adiong stated that the postponement would allow Congress to address the issue of the seven district seats reserved for Sulu in the region's parliament, which now needs to be reallocated. He also said it would give the Comelec time to adjust its preparations for the 2025 elections.
The Bangsamoro parliament, originally envisioned as an 80-member body, includes party, district, and sectoral representatives who will ultimately select the region's chief minister.
While the proposed delay has received support from some lawmakers, it has faced opposition from former Senate Presidents Aquilino Pimentel III and Juan Miguel Zubiri.
Pimentel argued that the elections should proceed as scheduled in 2025 to allow citizens in the region to "vote to reaffirm or change their leaders" under democratic principles.
Zubiri emphasized that the region had already waited long enough for its first parliamentary elections and that a second postponement would be unjustified, noting that the elections were originally scheduled for 2022 but were moved to 2025 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The proposed postponement has sparked debate, with some arguing that it is necessary to address the legal implications of the Supreme Court's ruling on Sulu's exclusion, while others maintain that the elections should proceed as planned to ensure democratic participation and the smooth transition of power in the BARMM.
The Comelec continues to accept COCs for the 2025 elections while awaiting the outcome of the legislative process regarding the potential postponement.
Time in Cotabato
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