Postponement of BARMM polls under study

The suspension of next year’s elections in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) is being studied, according to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.

This after the Supreme Court separated the province of Sulu from the BARMM.

“There are many implications in terms of the changes that have to be made, if we can do it. Maybe we cannot do it by May of next year,” the President said in an ambush interview.

Marcos noted that seven districts of Sulu that were under the BARMM would have no representative in the government or the province.

He explained that due to the separation of Sulu, a new province will be created along with a new sets of laws.

“There are also eight municipalities that have no districts and no provinces, but they won in the plebiscite so they are included in the BARMM. So now we will create a new province,” he said.

“That’s why the transition authorities need to work now on the new system, the new administrative code, the new local government code, the new electoral code, that’s what they need to work on,” Marcos said.

The President aims to accomplish this at the same time as next year’s midterm elections.

However, he said it is better to ensure the establishment of the new province than to rush it.

He added there was no timeline yet for the study as they will prioritize the consequences of the Sulu separation decision of the Supreme Court.

On 9 September, the Supreme Court declared that Sulu was not a part of the Bangsamoro Region following a 2019 plebiscite in which 54 percent of Sulu’s voters rejected the Bangsamoro Organic Law.

The Bangsamoro Organic Law or Republic Act 11054, also known as the Bangsamoro Basic Law, established the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.