House approves bill resetting BARMM polls to May 2026

The House of Representatives on Tuesday approved on final reading a proposed law seeking to reset the first elections in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) from May 2025 to May 2026. 

House Bill 11144 hurdled the House with 198 affirmative votes, with four voting against it.

The bill aims to postpone the 12 May, 2025 BARMM polls to 11 May, 2026 to provide additional time for the BARMM to resolve various legal issues, including the recent ruling of the Supreme Court (SC), excluding Sulu from BARMM. 

Proponents said resetting the first parliament polls would allow the autonomous region to have a broad understanding of the new electoral process. 

The measure seeks to amend Section 13, Article XVI of Republic Act 11054 or the “Organic Law for the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao,” mandating the resetting of the elections on the second Monday of May 2026 and every three years thereafter. 

The bill cited the potential implications of the SC’s decision on the composition of the BARMM Parliament and in the preparations for the upcoming 2025 elections, considering the pending petitions to reinclude Sulu again in the Bangsamoro Region.

The initial schedule for the BARMM polls would have coincided with the mid-term poll in May next year. 

Basilan Rep. Mujiv Hataman, former governor of the now-defunct ARMM, lamented that desynchronizing the “historic” BARMM elections with the national polls was not only a blatant violation of the BOL but, more importantly, undermines the decade-long pursuit of the region towards strengthening its institutions and becoming a more mature democracy. 

“It went through decades of strikes, sacrifices, and negotiations. It is stated in the Bangsamoro Organic Law, which also went through a long debate, discussion, and political fight here in our hall and above all it went through the plebiscite,” Hataman said in his speech at the plenary.

“If the [BARMM] election will be postponed, what does it say about us? We have fought for so long, then when the election [and] the very symbol of our self-determination is [almost] here, we will say, we are not ready?”

Under the House-approved bill, the President shall appoint 80 new interim members of the Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA), who shall serve until their successors are elected and qualified. 

The term of the present members of the BTA shall be deemed to expire once the law takes effect. 

The BTA had appealed to Congress to move BARMM polls to 2028 — coinciding with the national elections — citing legal and administrative challenges presently confronting the region, including the SC’s verdict.

Last month, the SC ruled that its verdict is final and immediately executory, closing the door for further pleadings.

The exclusion of Sulu would leave seven seats vacant out of the 80 district seats reserved in the BARMM.

Commission on Elections Chairperson George Garcia earlier raised concerns about how it would be filled up in accordance with the law but said they would just abide by Congress’ discretion.

The Institute for Autonomy and Governance and the Climate and Conflict Action have petitioned Congress to reconsider postponing the BARMM polls, citing its potentially serious consequences that may affect the peace process and the security in the region.

Senate President Francis Escudero filed a counterpart of the bill in the upper chamber, allowing BARMM n to reconfigure its jurisdictions and reallocate the seats of its 80-member parliament following the SC’s ruling.

The government is expected to shell out approximately P1 billion should the BARMM poll postponement take effect.