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The filing of certificates of candidacy (COCs) for the 2025 midterm polls is from Oct. 1 to 8, seven months before the May 2025 elections.
GMA Integrated News
The race for those vying to lead each of the 16 cities and 1 municipality in the National Capital Region has officially begun.
GISELLE OMBAY, GMA Integrated News
The Comelec has committed to resolve cases involving nuisance candidates for the 2025 midterm elections by the end of November this year.
GISELLE OMBAY, GMA Integrated News
The submission of Certificate of Nomination and Certificate of Acceptance of Nomination (CONA) for party-list groups seeking a seat in the House of Representatives started on Tuesday, October 1, and will run until next week, October 8.
GMA Integrated News
Up for grabs are a total of 18,280 seats covering 14 different posts from senators to municipal councilors, according to the Commission on Elections (Comelec).
For the first time, voters belonging to the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) will also elect their officials in parliamentary elections.
Voters must know the positions at stake and the duties and responsibilities of the candidates they will elect.
National Positions
Senators: 12 seats
They are the primary lawmakers who create bills and resolutions, and discuss and approve the national budget. They are mandated to enunciate national policies that promote public welfare and build an orderly society. The Senate holds legislative power, along with the House of Representatives.
Half of the senators are being elected every three years. Senators serve six-year term with a maximum of two consecutive terms. In May 2025, twelve (12) posts are available for grabs.
Party-list Representatives: 63 seats
Under the “Party-list System Act,” State shall promote proportional representation in the election of representatives to the House of Representatives through a party-list system of registered national, regional and sectoral parties or organizations or coalitions thereof, which will enable Filipino citizens belonging to the marginalized and underrepresented sectors, organizations and parties, and who lack well-defined political constituencies but who could contribute to the formulation and enactment of appropriate legislation that will benefit the nation as a whole, to become members of the House of Representatives.
The party-list representatives shall constitute 20 percent of the total number of representatives including those under the party-list.
Members, House of Representatives: 254 seats
The House of Representatives, as the Lower House of a bicameral Congress of the Philippines, exercises legislative power with the Senate.
The Members of the House of Representatives shall be elected for three years and shall serve for no more than three consecutive terms.
Local Executives
Under Republic Act No. 7160, or the Local Government Code of 1991, local governments enjoy relative autonomy from the national government. Local government units also have the power to create their own revenue sources and levy taxes, fees, and charges that shall accrue exclusively to them.
Each local government has its chief executive, which is also included in the positions that are up for grabs in May 2025.
Governors: 82 seats
The provincial governor is the chief executive of the provincial government. They may exercise general supervision, enforce all laws and ordinances, and implement all approved policies, programs, projects, services and activities of the Province.
Eighty-two (82) seats are available under the position of governor, and they are limited to three consecutive three-year terms. Once they end their third term, they may not run for reelection but may run again once they let one term pass.
Vice Governors: 82 seats
The provincial vice governor is the presiding officer of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan who formulates policies and programs for the realization of the vision, mission, and goals of the Province; appoints all officials and employees of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan subject to civil law, rules and regulations.
Eighty-two (82) seats are also available under this position and are limited to three consecutive three-year terms.
Members, Sangguniang Panlalawigan: 800 seats
The Sangguniang Panlalawigan is responsible for enacting ordinances, approving resolutions, adopting the local development plan, approving the local investment programs, and appropriating funds for the operation of the province, its welfare, and its inhabitants.
A total of 800 posts are up nationwide. The term of office is also three years.
City Mayors and Municipal Mayors: 1,642 seats
As the chief executive of the city or city government, the city mayor shall exercise and perform general supervision and control in the city or municipality, as well as enforce laws and ordinances.
Like governors, mayors are limited to three consecutive three-year terms. Once they end their third term, they may not run for reelection. They may seek the same post only after letting one term pass.
For city mayors, 149 posts will be available in the upcoming election, while 1,493 municipal mayors will be elected
City Vice Mayors and Municipal Vice Mayors: 1,642 seats
They provide leadership and direction to the Sangguniang Panglungsod and Sangguniang Bayan, spearheading and supporting the passage of ordinances, resolutions, and other programs.
A total of 1,642 posts will also be filled for the city vice mayor (149) and municipal vice mayor (1,493).
City Councilors and Municipal Councilors: 13,638 seats
City and municipal councilors or Sanggunian Panlungsod and Sangguniang Bayan members approve ordinances and resolutions and develop plans and programs in the city or municipality. They make up the council of the city or municipality.
BARMM Members of the Parliament
Parliamentary District Representatives: 25
Registered Regional Political Party Representatives: 40
The seats in the BARMM Parliament are classified into three: representatives of political parties (1/2 of the members of Parliament); parliamentary district seats (not more than 40% of the members of Parliament); reserved seats and sectoral representatives (at least 10% of the members of Parliament; no less than 8 seats). The sectoral representatives will be elected separately from the parliamentary elections.
The BARMM Parliament will be composed of 73 members: 40 from political parties, 25 from parliamentary districts, and 8 sectoral representatives.
Originally, BARMM was supposed to have 80 members, including 32 parliamentary district representatives.
In September 2024, the Supreme Court declared Sulu as not part of BARMM. This led Comelec to deduct seven seats that were allocated for Sulu's parliamentary district representatives.
According to the Bangsamoro Electoral Code, "In the first Parliamentary election, the selection of the sectoral representatives for the reserved seats in the Parliament shall be on the basis of election during assemblies especially called for the purpose by accredited sectoral organizations of women, settlers, youth, 'Ulama, traditional leaders and Non-Moro Indigenous Peoples. Thereafter, the election of the sectoral representatives, except the non-Moro IPs, ulama, and traditional leaders, shall be synchronized with the national and local elections and automated in accordance with the automated election system.”
The Philippines is set to use a new automated election system for the 2025 national and local elections.
With the new automated elections system (AES), Filipinos will cast ballots through automated counting machines (ACMs) instead of the voting counting machines (VCMs) used in the 2016 and 2019 elections.
The 110,000 ACMs are part of the P17.99-billion contract the Commission on Elections (Comelec) awarded to the joint venture led by South Korean firm Miru Systems in February. The contract covers the machines as well as election peripherals including ballot boxes, laptops, and other printing requirements for next year’s polls.
The ACMs are the upgraded version of the VCMs. It can scan ballots and have direct recording electronic (DRE) capabilities.
Other salient features of each machines include:
· privacy screen
· touch screen allowing voters to review their votes through ballot images-on-screen
· smart card reader
· ballot feeder with auto-align feature
· voter receipt output tray
· camera to scan the QR code on the vote receipt
· built-in voter’s receipt compartment
· batteries that can last up to 14 hours
· control switch and headphones for persons with disabilities (PWDs) and senior citizens
As for the transmission results, the Comelec ditched the transparency server for the May 2025 polls and contracted the joint venture of iOne Resources, Inc. and Ardent Networks, Inc. for the Secure Electronic Transmission Services (SETs).
Under the new system, election results from the machines will be sent to the telecommunications companies. The joint venture will then provide the equipment that will reconcile the data from the telecommunication companies before they are sent to the five citizens arms of the Comelec, the majority and minority parties, the municipal or city board of canvassers, and the poll body's national server.
A data center will also be set up and the election results that will be transmitted to the aforementioned entities will be mirrored by the Department of Information and Communications Technology.
The Comelec, together with the media and poll watchdogs, last week conducted an inspection one of the three data server sites. Two of the sites were located in Makati and the other one was in Parañaque.
Lawmakers, election watchdogs, and other groups earlier expressed concern and called on the Comelec to stay vigilant and review Miru's track record. But, Miru Systems said the allegations of election failures due to its technology were false.
It was declared ineligible in the first round of bidding in December 2023 for its failure to meet the legal requirements of the lease contract. Comelec Special Bids and Awards Committee conducted a second round of bidding where Miru submitted new documents.
In January, Miru was deemed eligible to proceed with the bidding process after complying with all the legal and financial requirements for the project.
Allegations of bribery were likewise thrown against Comelec Chairperson George Erwin Garcia in relation to the contract, which the poll body’s head denied.
The May 2025 elections is seen to cast a spotlight on the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, which will hold its historic first parliamentary elections since it was established as an autonomous region in 2019.
The product of a 2014 peace agreement between the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, BARMM is currently governed by an interim parliament or the Bangsamoro Transition Authority.
The upcoming polls will mark the first time its residents will vote for their parliamentary representatives to craft the future of the region through the ballot.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. stressed the importance of the electoral exercise, as he vowed to make it orderly, honest and credible.
“This is the fulfilment of your democratic right to realize and achieve meaningful autonomy, as is enshrined in the CAB. I urge you, safeguard those rights, empower yourselves, take part in our shared task of nation-building,” Marcos had said.
Earlier, a leader of one of the BARMM provinces also declared that the success of the upcoming electoral exercise is vital to the end of the Bangsamoro people’s decades-long struggle for self-determination and self-governance.
What is BARMM?
Republic Act No. 11054 or the Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL) declared the establishment of a political entity, known as the Bangsamoro government, which recognized its right to self-governance.
BARMM is composed of the provinces of Basilan, some parts of Cotabato, Lanao del Sur, Maguindanao and Tawi-Tawi.
Sulu used to be included as one of the provinces of BARMM, however, a Supreme Court ruling declared it was not part of the region. The decision was borne out of a 2018 petition by Sulu Governor Abdusakur Tan II.
What is there to expect in the first BARMM parliamentary elections?
In the BARMM parliamentary elections, voters may vote for a maximum of three positions: district representatives, party representatives, and sectoral representatives.
Voting for district representatives is similar to other elections in the country where voters can vote for a candidate who will represent them. However, voting for party representatives will be quite different. Here, voters will vote for parties instead of people. Elected parties will then be awarded a certain number of seats based on the number of votes they received during the election.
Will BARMM voters still vote for national and local candidates?
Yes, BARMM voters will still vote for national and local candidates. Under the BOL, the Bangsamoro region is an integral, indivisible, and inseparable part of the territory of the Republic of the Philippines.
How many seats are at stake in the elections?
The seats in the BARMM Parliament are classified into three: representatives of political parties (1/2 of the members of Parliament); parliamentary district seats (not more than 40% of the members of Parliament); reserved seats and sectoral representatives (at least 10% of the members of Parliament; no less than 8 seats)
The BARMM Parliament will be composed of 73 members: 40 from political parties, 25 from parliamentary districts, and 8 sectoral representatives.
The regional political party representatives are nominees of BARMM regional political parties
who have received at least four percent (4%) of the total votes in the BARMM Parliamentary elections. Then, the forty seats are distributed in proportion to the votes received by all qualified parties in the elections.
Originally, BARMM was supposed to have 80 members, including 32 parliamentary district representatives.
The removal of Sulu from BARMM led Comelec to deduct seven seats that were allocated for Sulu's parliamentary district representatives.
Do the voters vote for the Chief Minister of the BARMM Parliament?
No, voters will only be able to vote for regional political parties, district representatives, and sectoral representatives. The winners of this election form the parliament. They will choose among themselves who will become the Chief Minister. Usually, the party with the most number of seats gets to choose who the Chief Minister will be.
Which parties can participate in the BARMM Parliamentary elections?
Only registered regional political parties may participate in the BARMM Parliamentary Elections. Regional Political Parties must have at least 10,000 members who are residents and registered voters therein. The members shall be distributed throughout the different provinces and cities comprising the Bangsamoro territory. All regional parties must have provincial and city chapters in all provinces and cities in the BARMM Region, and municipal chapters in the majority of the municipalities comprising each province, in the Bangsamoro.
Who are the district representatives?
Not more than 40% of the members of the BARMM Parliament or 32 seats shall be elected from single-member parliamentary districts. This means that there will be at least thirty-two (32) districts in the Bangsamoro Region. Independent candidates may vie for district representative seats.
The 32 parliamentary districts shall be apportioned based on population and geographical area. Each district shall comprise, as far as practicable, contiguous, compact, and adjacent territorial jurisdiction, and shall have at least a population of 100,000.
What are the qualifications of a district representative?
A candidate for district representative must be a registered voter of his or her district and must have resided there for at least one year immediately preceeding the day of the election.
Who are the sectoral representatives?
Ten percent of the parliament representing eight seats are reserved for specific sectors. Non-Moro Indigenous Peoples and settler communities both have two seats. Women, youth, traditional leaders and the Ulama each have one seat.
What is the Bangsamoro Electoral Code (BEC)?
Enacted in 2023, the Bangsamoro Electoral Code paved the way for the creation of the Bangsamoro Electoral Office that is under the direct control and supervision of the Commission on Elections.
It will supervise national, regional, and local elections, plebiscites, initiatives, referenda and recall proceedings.
