BARMM poll reset urged anew

ISABELA CITY, Basilan — Basilan Governor Jim Salliman-Hataman presented to the House Committee on Suffrage and Electoral Reforms the position paper signed by the five provincial governors of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), calling for a one-year reset of the first parliament election in the BARMM.

During the House Committee on Suffrage and Electoral Reforms (HCSER) hearing last Monday, Salliman stressed that the one-year reset of the parliament elections aims to provide time for the amendment of the Bangsamoro Autonomy Act (BAA) 58, which governs the creation of parliamentary districts.

He added that an amendment to BAA 58, should be adopted, in light of the recent Supreme Court ruling that excluded the province of Sulu from the BARMM geographic areas.

Salliman also underscored that the resetting of the first parliamentary elections in the BARMM will allow more time to strengthen the governance and build unity within the community, rather than create division.

“The resetting will promote stability in the Bangsamoro Region and embody the true essence of autonomy, advancing peace and development without the disruption a premature or divisive election cycle might bring,” Salliman explained to HCSER chairperson Representative Maximo Y. Dalog Jr.

“That the BARMM parliamentary election is more than a political event; it represents peace, unity, and autonomy of Bangsamoro,” he added.

In Basilan, all town mayors have expressed their support to reset the first-ever Bangsamoro parliamentary elections to 2026 due to peace and order conditions in the entire BARMM region.

Lanao del Sur Governor Mamintal A. Adiong Jr., along with other governors — Abdulrauf A. Macacua of Maguindanao del Norte and Ysmael I. Sali of Tawi-Tawi — want the first parliamentary elections in the BARMM be held in 2026.

Municipal mayors of Maguindanao del Sur, Maguindanao del Norte and Basilan province had earlier signed a manifesto expressing favor for the Senate Bill 2864 and House Bill No. 11034, introduced by Senate President Francis G. Escudero and House Speaker Martin G. Romualdez, respectively, as enabling measures for the postponement.