Bangsamoro districting bills draw broad participation

COTABATO CITY -- The series of transparent and inclusive public consultations for the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) districting bill continued on Monday with the Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA) expected to maintain its commitment to pass the measure this month.

The consultation tackles proposed districting bills for the BARMM, which will serve as the foundational law for the first-ever Bangsamoro Parliamentary Elections (BPE) next year.

Member of the Parliament (MP) Atty. Naguib Sinarimbo said the ongoing consultations continue to gain strong support from communities across the region, expressing his appreciation for the positive response.

Sinarimbo explained that the Parliament began conducting the consultations early in November to give legislative committees enough time to hear all participants and gather comprehensive feedback from stakeholders.

He cited that the consultations are required by law, which tasks the Parliament to apportion the Bangsamoro region into parliamentary districts.

This became necessary after a Supreme Court ruling adjusted parts of BARMM’s territorial coverage.

He added that the Parliament recently passed a districting law that reassigned seven seats originally meant for Sulu. Cotabato City now qualifies for three districts after meeting the 100,000 minimum population requirement.

The first rounds of consultations were held in Tawi-Tawi on 6 November, Basilan and Special Geographic Areas (SGAs) on 4 December, Lanao Del Sur on 7 December, and the latest session on Monday in Cotabato City.

During the session, Sinarimbo acknowledged the attendance of local officials, barangay leaders, civil society groups, and youth representatives, noting that their presence reflects strong community engagement. In Cotabato City alone, an estimated 262 people attended, a significant increase compared to past consultations.

Committee staff presented the five districting bills filed before the Parliament, outlining how each proposal arranges Cotabato City’s three districts based on population and geographic boundaries.

Sinarimbo said the committees have already received numerous position papers from different provinces and are consolidating them for committee deliberations.

Extended consultations are scheduled on 10 December for Maguindanao del Sur and 12 December for Maguindanao del Norte. The Parliament aims to complete all sessions by 12 December so that the joint Committees on Rules and Local Government can deliberate on the gathered inputs and prepare their report for the plenary.

During the open forum, representatives from the Institute for Autonomy and Governance (IAG) and the Independent Election Monitoring Center (IEMC) urged the Parliament to align the districting law with the Supreme Court ruling to avoid legal challenges and ensure that the 2026 BARMM elections stay on schedule.

Stakeholders also appealed for the elections to proceed as planned and recommended reopening the filing of candidacies once the districting law is approved, along with refining rules for sectoral representation.

The lawmaker finished the session emphasizing that the broad participation of the public is crucial to crafting a districting law that is fair, well-structured, and fully aligned with the Constitution and national laws.