The Commission on Elections (COMELEC) said Sunday that the measure resetting the first regular elections in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) to September 14, 2026 may be approved within the week.
“Bago mag-adjourn ang Kongreso, naniniwala tayo na ito’y maipapasa na sa linggong ito sapagkat ito ay na-certify as urgent ng ating pangulo,” COMELEC Chairperson George Erwin Garcia said in a radio interview.
Both the Senate and the House of Representatives have already passed the bill on third and final reading.
In January, COMELEC postponed the first-ever Bangsamoro elections for the fourth time, citing “legal and operational” constraints following the delayed passage of the BARMM redistricting law.
The Supreme Court had previously ordered the postponement of the polls, originally scheduled for October 13, 2025, and reallocated Sulu’s 32 parliamentary seats to other BARMM provinces after ruling in 2024 that Sulu is no longer part of the autonomous region.
Garcia said the commission is prepared to serve the 2.3 million registered voters under the new districting setup.
“Ang importante, nagkaroon ng bagong districting law. Binabago ang mga distrito at the same time, may ilang pagbabago rin tulad sa kung paano ang pagboto na mangyayari sa mga kababayan natin sa Bangsamoro,” he explained.