The Commission on Elections (COMELEC) has proposed to Congress setting a new date for the first-ever Bangsamoro Parliamentary Elections (BPE) in 2026 if the scheduled March 30 polls fail to proceed.
COMELEC chair George Erwin Garcia said holding the BPE in 2027 would disrupt preparations for the 2028 presidential elections.
“If it is possible, maybe in 2026, we can have the elections. We can’t do it next year because the Comelec is already very busy preparing for the national and local elections,” Garcia said.
“We have submitted a bill to the Lower House, to the chairperson of the committee on suffrage and electoral reforms. If we cannot proceed by March 30, we will wait for a law to be passed that will fix the date of our elections in the Bangsamoro,” he added.
Garcia said COMELEC proposed alternative schedules for the BPE, including May, late September, or early October 2026.
“After Ramadan and the Holy Week, we can probably have the elections towards the end of May 2026,” he said.
He noted that the poll body is also preparing for the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections scheduled for November 2026.
Last year, the Supreme Court ordered the Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA) to pass a new Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) districting law by October 30 and directed Comelec to conduct the BPE not later than March 31, 2026.
On January 13, the BTA approved on third and final reading Parliament Bill No. 415, redefining the 32 parliamentary districts of BARMM.
Garcia also cited Republic Act No. 8189, or the Continuing Registration Law, which bars changes to voter registration 120 days before an election.