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BARMM can resolve election issues in 5 months —Ejercito


Senator Joseph Victor (JV) Ejercito said on Thursday that five months is enough to resolve all the issues in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) before its first parliamentary elections.

"I'm hoping (for the issues to be resolved in five months). That was also the recommendation from the executive, we consulted them also, kung kaya na (if it's doable)," he said during the Kapihan sa Senado forum. 

“Hindi naman tayo kumikilos na basta natin ano no. So say five months, that was recommend as well by the executive, na five months,” he added. 

(We don't just act like we are. So, say five months, which the executive recommended as well.)

Ejercito noted that they also consulted the Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation, and Unity or OPAPRU and the Commission on Elections (COMELEC). 

“Kaya po tayo nag five months kasi sabi nila, kaya naman,” he said, pertaining to the poll body. 

(We pushed for five months because they said it's doable.) 

“At siyempre nakipag-coordinate din tayo kung ano yung tingin ng executive, kung ano yung tingin ng executive secretary, kung anong tinging ng palasyo dito. Yun naman, na ang tingin nila’y five months will be enough,” he noted. 

(And, of course, we also coordinated what the executive thought, what the executive secretary thought, and what the palace thought about it. That is, they believe that five months will be enough.)

Senate Bill 2942 resetting the first-ever BARMM elections to October 13, 2025 was approved on second reading on Wednesday. 

Under the bill's latest version, the next election will be held every three years after 2028 and synchronized with the national elections.

On Wednesday, President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. certified the proposed measure postponing the BARMM polls as urgent.

Meanwhile, In a Viber message, Comelec Chairman George Garcia said they have yet to proceed with the printing of the ballots for the BARMM elections.

Passage

Ejercito hopes that the measure will be ratified before their break.

The postponement proposal will be passed on third reading on Monday, followed by a one-day bicam on Tuesday before Marcos signs the measure.

“Bago mag-break, sana mag-ratify ang mga ito. Yung pag-issue ng Malacanang ng certification, which is an urgent measure. So 'yun yung ano nation, it's hopefully message, we can pass it by before the break," he added. 

(Before the break, I hope we can ratify. The issuance of certification by Malacanang is an urgent measure. So that's what we are doing; it's a really urgent message. Hopefully, we can pass it before the break.) —LDF, GMA Integrated News

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