Comelec to Congress: Decide on BARMM polls postponement by December

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The Commission on Elections (Comelec) appealed Thursday to Congress to decide on whether to postpone or not the first-ever Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) polls by December.

Comelec Chairman George Erwin Garcia made the call at the Senate local government committee hearing on the bill seeking to postpone the BARMM polls from May 12, 2025 to May 11, 2026.

“Isa lang po ang pakiusap ng Comelec, hindi po ito pressure sa ating Kongreso, pero ang katotohanan lang po, sana po ay may development kung matutuloy o hindi ang ating halalan sapagkat mag-i-imprenta ang Comelec ng balota sa huling linggo ng Disyembre,” Garcia said.

“Ibig sabihin po, ipa-finalize namin ang list of candidates, hopefully, before December 13 of this year,” he added.

Should there be no law deferring the 2025 BARMM polls,  the Comelec chief said they will proceed with all activities related to the upcoming polls, such as the acceptance of the certificates of candidacy and the accreditation of regional political parties.

“Yun po ang timeline po talaga namin dito sa ganitong klase ng development more or less hanggang second week ng December, and this is not to put pressure with due respect to our Congress,” Garcia added.

The filing of certificates of candidacy for the 2025 BARMM polls is from November 4 to November 9.

“Hindi naman po namin pupwedeng i-presume na maaring ito ay maaprubahan at maging batas, ang panukalang ito, kaya kailangan ituloy po namin, he said.

In an ambush interview, Senator JV Ejercito, chairman of the Senate local government committee, said they are eyeing to pass the bill within the month of November.

“Hopefully by end of November maipasa natin in line with Comelec deadline on the second [week] of December,” Ejercito said.

During the hearing,  Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation, and Unity Secretary Carlito Galvez stressed the need to defer the BARMM polls following the Supreme Court ruling on the exclusion of Sulu province from the autonomous region.

As he warned of possible “ramifications” from the peace agreements after the SC decision on Sulu’s exclusion from the BARMM,  Galvez said the OPAPRU  is seeking a proper transition plan for the province.

“The one year election reset is also the perfect time for the Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA) to refine existing Bangsamoro policies and codes in preparation for the election. Given that several Bangsamoro policies apply to the provinces of Sulu, the BTA must be accorded ample time to review and amend these as needed so that it will not be vulnerable again for challenge for its constitutionality before the Supreme Court,” Galvez said.

Further, the presidential peace adviser explained that the postponement of the BARMM polls is needed in OPAPRU’s strategic effort to address security threats that endanger the success of elections, noting that they are still in the process of decommissioning the former Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and also the transformation of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF).

“By covering sizable amounts of small arms and light weapons during this process, we can decrease the threats from the use of loose firearms during the election period and guarantee that election-related violence is within reasonable control of the government,” he said.

This, however, was refuted by Maguindanao del Sur Governor Bai Mariam Mangudadatu, who stressed that deferring the 2025 BARMM polls is “denying the Bangsamoro people the right to choose their own leaders.”

“They will allow the same people to serve for seven years without any election or mandate from the people,” Mangudadatu told the Senate panel.

She even noted President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.’s earlier pronouncement last February 5 where the latter said the first BARMM election next year should be a success and last April, saying that the polls should push through next year.

“Why the sudden change? If the reason is Sulu exiting BARMM, what if the Sulu exit in the Philippine hypothetically? Wala na ring election sa Pilipinas dahil affected ang seats sa Congress?” she said.

Further, Mangudadatu claimed that the current Bangasmoro government is led by the MILF.

But despite this, she said “violence between and among MILF groups and individuals continues to emerge destroying the peace and order of BARMM.”

According to Mangudadatu, there are more than 70 recorded “skirmishes and encounters” between and among MILF which resulted in the death of less than 100 since 2022.

Another point that Mangudadatu raised is the possible continued lack of oversight on the P500 billion block grant for the BARMM.

“If extended, seven years na po ang BARMM without any oversight review [on] how they spent more than P500 billion block grant and government funds… May kasama rin itong social development fund (SDF) na nagkakaloob ng P5 billion over and above the block grant, and international aid over and above block grant and SDF,” she said.

“If people are so concerned with confidential fund and flood control, I think people should also be concerned about the P500 billion block grant freely given to Bangsamoro Region. Masisisi ninyo ba ang taumbayan kung magtanong saan nga ba napunta ang pera ng BARMM?” she went on.

At this point, she raised the possibility that the one-year extension might serve as an extended campaign period for current MILF officials.

No less than Senate President Francis “Chiz” Escudero filed the bill seeking to defer the 2025 BARMM polls.

This, he said, is upon Malacañang’s request.

Before the proposed measure was even discussed at the committee level, it already faced opposition from Senate Minority Leader Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III and the president’s own sister, Senator Imee Marcos.

Escudero said that his colleagues’ concerns over his proposal will be heard and the bill will be put to a vote.—AOL, GMA Integrated News

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