New sked of Bangsamoro polls gets House nod

The House of Representatives on Tuesday approved on third and final reading a bill rescheduling the first-ever elections in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) from May 2025 to May 2026.

This developed after the measure, under House Bill 11144, got 198 "yes" votes, four "no: votes, and 'zero' abstentions.

Aside from resetting BARMM's inaugural polls, the bill also seeks to end the term of the present duly constituted Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA) once the measure is signed into law by the President.

This is because the bill allows the President to appoint the 80 new interim BTA members, who will serve their posts until their successors are elected in May 2026.

"This is to provide additional time for the BARMM to resolve various emerging legal issues and promote broader participation from political parties," the committee report on the measure read.

"This is also to allow for the region to have a more enhanced understanding of the new electoral process," the committee report added.

Last September, the Supreme Court (SC) upheld the validity of the Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL) but declared that Sulu was not part of the BARMM.

The following month, the Supreme Court denied motions seeking to reverse its September 9 decision. House Deputy Minority Leader and Basilan Rep. Mujiv Hataman said postponing the BARMM polls, which were supposed to be held at the same time of the May 2025 polls, would only foster patronage politics and betray BARMM's autonomous status.

"Kung hindi ito matutuloy, made-desynchronize ang BARMM elections at ang pambansang halalan. At kung mangyari iyon, babalik ang pyudal na sistema kung saan kayang diktahan ng mga nasa Maynila ang takbo ng halalan sa Bangsamoro, na siya namang susuklian ng command votes ng mga magwawagi pagdating ng pambansang halalan," Hataman said.

(If the BARMM polls won't be held alongside the May 2025 midterm elections, the region will go back to feudal system wherein those in Manila are the ones dictating the conduct of elections in BARMM in exchange of command votes from the midterm poll winners.)

"Babalik tayo sa siklo ng pagkapit sa kapangyarihan ng iilang personalidad at angkan. Bubuksan na naman natin ang pinto para maghari ang transaksyonalismo at patronage politics," Hataman added.

(We'll go back to the cycle of clinging to power and open the floodgates for transactional and patronage politics.)

Further, Hataman maintained that resetting the first BARMM elections is illegal.

"Mr. Speaker, mga kasama: Desynchronizing the elections again would be a long step backward in the journey of the Bangsamoro towards strengthening our institutions and becoming a more mature democracy. Not to mention, Mr. Speaker, that desynchronizing the BARMM elections—a form of local elections—with the national elections clearly violates the Constitution. Sinabi ito ng Korte Suprema, noong 2011, sa kaso ng Kida vs.  Senate of the Philippines,” Hataman said.

(The Supreme Court found this postponement illegal in the Kida vs. Senate of the Philippines case.)

"Dapat tumuloy ang halalan. Mas mahalagang sumulong tungo sa yugto kung saan sinasalamin ng pamahalaan ang tunay na tinig ng taumbayan. Mas mahalaga ang demokrasya, mas mahalaga ang progreso, mas mahalaga ang kinabukasan ng Bangsamoro," Hataman added.

(The BARMM elections should push through in May 2025. It is more important to reflect the true sentiments of our people. Democracy, progress, and the future of Bangsamoro are far more important.)

The 80-strong Bangsamoro Parliament is currently composed of 40 political party representatives, 32 district representatives and eight sectoral representatives from women, youth, indigenous peoples and non-Moros.

At present, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front's (MILF) United Bangsamoro Justice Party has the majority of the 80-strong Bangsamoro Parliament.

MILF and the Philippines government signed a peace agreement in 2014, paving the way for the establishment of the BARMM in 2019. — VDV, GMA Integrated News