The Senate of the Philippines on Monday approved, on the third and final reading, a measure rescheduling the first-ever parliamentary elections for the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) from 12 May 2025 to 13 October 2025.

Senate Bill 2942, or An Act Resetting the First Regular Elections in BARMM, garnered 18 affirmative votes, one negative vote, and zero abstentions during a plenary session at the chamber.

After the proposed 13 October 2025 first elections, SB 2942 states that BARMM polls shall be held and synchronized with the 2028 national elections, and every three years thereafter.

The Commission on Elections (Comelec), through the Bangsamoro Electoral Office, shall promulgate rules and regulations for the conduct of the elections, enforce, and administer them pursuant to national laws, this Organic Law, and the Bangsamoro Electoral Code.

The terms of office of those elected in the first BARMM elections will begin at noon on 30 October 2025.

During the extended transition period, officials of the Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA) will remain in office until their successors are elected, unless these interim members are replaced by the President or their terms are cut short due to election to a different position.

Aspirants who filed their Certificates of Candidacy (COC) for the parliamentary districts and those nominated for party representatives in the Certificate of Nomination and Acceptance for the originally scheduled 12 May 2025 BARMM elections will automatically be considered candidates in the October 2025 elections.

New filings for COCs and Manifestations of Intent to Participate with a list of nominees will not be entertained.

Under SB 2942, Comelec is authorized to issue appropriate guidelines on the filing of candidacies in case the seats originally allocated to Sulu province are re-apportioned by the Bangsamoro parliament.

Substitution of candidates and nominees is also not allowed, except in cases of death or disqualification, pursuant to Comelec guidelines.

The approved measure states that the Bangsamoro parliamentary election in October 2025 shall not be treated as a special election and shall be considered a continuation of the 2025 national and local elections (NLE).

Any amount obligated before the resetting of the Bangsamoro election shall remain valid.

“The amount necessary for the implementation of this Act shall be charged against the current year’s appropriations of the Comelec or any available appropriations as may be identified by the Department of Budget and Management (DBM), subject to existing budgeting, accounting, and auditing rules and regulations,” SB 2942 states.

Thereafter, such sums as may be necessary for its continued implementation shall be included in the annual General Appropriations Act, subject to the usual budget preparation process.

The Senate version of the bill differs from the approved version of the House of Representatives, which deferred the BARMM elections to May 2026.

Hence, a bicameral conference committee will be convened to reconcile the disagreeing provisions of the two versions of the proposed BARMM deferment.

The Senate or the House of Representatives could simply adopt the version they wish to submit to Malacañang.