Comelec moves filing of COC, MIP for BARMM polls to November 4-9

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) en banc moved the period of filing of certificates of candidacy (COC) and manifestation of intent to participate (MIP) for the 2025 Bangsamoro parliamentary elections to November 4 to 9.

This developed following the Supreme Court (SC) decision excluding Sulu from the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).

“Dahil nga sa nagulantang kami sa naging desisyon ng ating Kataas-taasang Hukuman tungkol sa pagtatanggal ng Sulu sa Bangsamoro, kaya po nagdesisyon ang Comelec en banc na ipagpaliban ang filing ng COCs sa buong Bangsamoro, kasama na rin po 'yung MIPs at 'yun pong mga nominees ng political parties. Ito po ay magaganap na ngayong November 4 to 9, 2024,” Comelec Chairman George Garcia said in a statement.

(Since we were surprised by the Supreme Court's decision regarding the removal of Sulu from the Bangsamoro, the Comelec en banc has decided to postpone the filing of certificates of candidacy [COCs] in the entire Bangsamoro, including the MIPs and nominees of political parties. This will now take place from November 4 to 9, 2024.)

The filing period was initially set for October 1 to October 8, 2024.

Meanwhile, Garcia clarified that aspirants vying for positions in the national and local elections (NLE) next year are not affected by the changes in the period of filing of COCs.

“’Yung atin pong mga kababayan na may intensyon na mag-file ng kanilang certificates of candidacy sa local positions, subalit ang lugar nila, ang bayan nila, ang probinsiya nila ay nasa Bangsamoro, ay tuloy po ang filing sa October 1 to 8, 2024 sapagkat ang sinasabi lang naman po ng ating Kataas-taasang Hukuman ay hindi kasama ang Sulu, and therefore, maaaring maapektuhan 'yung Bangsamoro Parliamentary Elections,” said the poll chief.

(For those who intend to file their Certificates of Candidacy for local positions, but whose places, towns, or provinces are within the Bangsamoro region, they can proceed with the filing from October 1 to 8, 2024, since the Supreme Court's decision only excludes Sulu. Therefore, it may affect the Bangsamoro Parliamentary Elections.)

“So, Bangsamoro Parliamentary Election lang po ang minu-move natin ng November 4 to 9 sa filing ng certificate of candidacy... Tuloy ang national and local, [ngunit] hindi ang filing ng candidacy sa Bangsamoro sapagkat apektado doon sa [SC] decision sa Sulu,” he said.

(So, we're only moving the Bangsamoro Parliamentary Election filing of certificates of candidacy to November 4 to 9. The [filing of COCs for] national and local elections will proceed as scheduled, but not the filing of candidacies in Bangsamoro, which is affected by the Supreme Court's decision regarding Sulu.)

The Comelec earlier said it will proceed with the holding of the 2025 Bangsamoro polls despite the SC decision.

Under the Bangsamoro Organic Law, a total of 80 parliamentary seats are at stake in the first-ever parliamentary elections. The allocation of the parliamentary seats are as follows: 40 will come from the representatives of Regional Political Parties; 32 from representatives of Parliamentary Districts and eights seats are reserved for sectoral representatives.

The Comelec said with the Sulu exclusion, the poll body would remove the seven parliamentary seats allotted for the province, reducing the total number to 73. 

In March 2023, the Bangsamoro Transition Authority passed the Bangsamoro Electoral Code, which will allow democratic participation in the local and regional elections. It would also open the creation of political parties in the region with representations from women, youth, indigenous people, settler communities, traditional leaders, and the Ulama.

The first-ever election in the Bangsamoro Region was scheduled to be conducted in May 2022 but was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. —KG/VBL, GMA Integrated News