Escudero files bill deferring BARMM polls to May 2026

Senate President Francis "Chiz" Escudero has filed a bill on Monday seeking to postpone the first regular elections in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) from May 12, 2025 to May 11, 2026.

In an ambush interview, Escudero said that the bill was filed upon the request of Malacañang.

"Ito ang nire-request ng Palasyo dahil nga sa mga kaganapan, mga pagbabago naganap nitong nakaraang linggo at buwan... Kabilang na rito siyempre ung latest Supreme Court decision na hanggang ngayon nga ay hindi pa pinal," Escudero said.

[This is a request of Malacañang because of recent events and developments the past week, month ... this includes the latest Supreme Court decision which is not yet final until now.]

"'Yung panukalang batas walang ibang laman, walang binabago sa BARMM law. Petsa lamang ng eleksyon ang binabago para sa darating na taon," he added.

[The proposed measure doesn't have new content, no difference with the BARMM law. It's just the date of the elections for next year.]

The supposed request from Malacañang came after President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr.'s meeting the governors of the BARMM where issues related to the autonomous area's path towards peace and prosperity were discussed.

GMA News Online has sought Malacañang's confirmation on Escudero's remarks, but Palace officials have yet to respond to the query.

In filing Senate Bill 2862, Escudero cited the recent SC ruling which declares the exclusion of Sulu from the Bangsamoro region and the Bangsamoro Transitional Authority Parliament's request for Congress to pass a law forming a new province to be known as Kutawato which will be composed of eight newly-formed municipalities.

Escudero explained that the creation of a new province needs the creation of legislative districts. Should Congress fail to pass laws to create such, the Senate president said it may result in the disenfranchisement of voters in the eight new municipalities.

"While the reasons behind the first postponement brought about by the passage of RA No. 11593 on 29 October 2021 may be different--the COVID-19 pandemic, and the absence of a Bangsamoro Electoral Code--recent developments speek nonetheless of institutional and statutory issues that warrant another postponement," Escudero said in his explanatory note.

In a Viber message to reporters, Commission on Elections (Comelec) Chairman George Garcia said the poll body will "proceed with all the activities in relation to election preparation for the BARMM" as the bill filed is not yet a law.

"[A]s in the past, we will defer to the wisdom of the legislature on this matter," Garcia said.

If the bill will be enacted, it would be the second time that the BARMM polls will be postponed.

In 2021, former President Rodrigo Duterte signed the law postponing the May 2022 elections in BARMM to May 2025. — RSJ, GMA Integrated News