The Commission on Elections (COMELEC) confirmed on Wednesday that both the maiden Bangsamoro Parliamentary Elections and the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE) are on track to proceed as scheduled, provided no legal roadblocks arise.
During a Kapihan forum, COMELEC Chairman George Erwin Garcia announced that full-scale preparations are already underway for the twin electoral exercises: the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) parliamentary polls set for September 14, and the nationwide BSKE slated for November 2.
Garcia highlighted a stark technical contrast between the two polls, explaining that the BARMM elections will feature full automation using the same hardware deployed during the May 12, 2025 National and Local Elections. Meanwhile, the localized BSKE will remain traditional and manual.
To champion transparency, the poll chief added that candidate information will soon be accessible to the public online.
“Tuloy na tuloy po ang Bangsamoro – sa kasalukuyan po, ang mga pangalan – pinost na po namin sa website ng COMELEC. At the same time, ngayong linggo ilalabas na namin sa website namin ang certificates of candidacies ng lahat ng mga kandidato sa Bangsamoro bilang pagtalima sa principle of transparency,” Garcia said.
The Bangsamoro election is definitely pushing through—currently, we have already posted the names on the COMELEC website. At the same time, this week we will release on our website the certificates of candidacies of all the candidates in the Bangsamoro in compliance with the principle of transparency.
He further reiterated the legal mandate dictating the reuse of automated election systems for the historic regional parliamentary race.
“Automated election po ang Bangsamoro Parliamentary Elections- hindi po ito manual. Hindi katulad ng Barangay and SK na manual. Ito po ay automation. Sinabi ng batas, gagamitin ni COMELEC ang lahat ng makina, equipment, devices na ginamit noong nakaraang May 12, 2025 elections,” Garcia added.
(The Bangsamoro Parliamentary Elections will be an automated election—it is not manual. Unlike the Barangay and SK which are manual. This is automation. The law states that COMELEC will use all the machines, equipment, and devices that were utilized during the previous May 12, 2025 elections.)
Funding for the landmark BARMM parliamentary polls has been secured, with COMELEC allocating roughly ₱3 billion to bankroll the automated proceedings. The BARMM regional government has also pledged an additional ₱500 million standby fund to guarantee smooth operations.