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30January
Pres. Marcos urges fast-track passage of BARMM election postponement bill
- Jan 30, 2025
- Taher G. Solaiman
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Presidential Communications Office Secretary Cesar Chavez confirmed that President Marcos has certified the bill as urgent.
Chavez cited the need for the Bangsamoro transitional government to “realign its governance structure” as the primary reason for the postponement.
“It will also ensure that the region’s aspirations for unity, inclusivity, and genuine autonomy are achieved,” he added.
The Senate has already approved Senate Bill No. 2942, which seeks to reset the BARMM elections to October 2025, while the House of Representatives passed its version, proposing a May 2026 postponement.
The President's certification will expedite the legislative process, allowing the bill to bypass certain procedural requirements and shorten the review process.
The proposed postponement marks the second time the BARMM elections have been delayed. They were initially scheduled for May 2022 but were postponed to 2025 through Republic Act No. 11593, signed by former President Rodrigo Duterte in 2021.
Fresh calls for a postponement arose after the Supreme Court affirmed its earlier ruling excluding Sulu province from BARMM in November 2024.
The Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA), composed of 80 presidential appointees, has been governing the region since its creation in 2019. The postponement of the 2022 elections led to the appointment of a new set of BTA members by President Marcos.
Meanwhile, the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) has halted the printing of official ballots for the BARMM parliamentary polls, citing the ongoing uncertainty surrounding the region’s electoral calendar.
“Because of [this] recent development, we did not yet proceed with the printing of the BARMM parliamentary ballots. Only the national and local elections ballots [are being printed],” COMELEC Chair George Erwin Garcia said.
He explained that the printing could be delayed further depending on the outcome of the redistricting process following the Supreme Court's decision to exclude Sulu from BARMM.
Time in Cotabato
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