Senate Majority Leader Migz Zubiri has filed Senate Bill No. 1587 seeking to move the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao’s (BARMM) first parliamentary elections to March 30, 2026.
Zubiri, principal author of the Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL), said the measure is vital to uphold the Bangsamoro people’s democratic right to elect their leaders.
“It has been more than six years since the BARMM was established, and the Bangsamoro people have yet to exercise their power to elect their own leaders. The core principles of BOL are self-governance and self-determination, and these cannot be achieved without the people’s right to vote,” he stressed.
The bill also aligns future BARMM elections with the 2028 national polls and establishes a three-year cycle thereafter. Officials elected in 2026 would assume office on April 30.
“Kaya we are filing this bill to push for the BARMM’s parliamentary elections in March next year. Para may mandato ng batas ang kauna-unahang eleksyon sa rehiyon,” Zubiri added.
Under the proposal, the Commission on Elections (COMELEC), through the Bangsamoro Electoral Office, will craft rules consistent with national law, the BOL, and the Bangsamoro Electoral Code.
Zubiri cited two Supreme Court rulings as basis for the reset: the exclusion of Sulu from BARMM, which altered the political landscape, and the nullification of the Parliament’s 2025 redistricting law, requiring new apportionment before elections can proceed.