Koko, Imee buck BARMM poll postponement

MANILA, Philippines — Two senators are against a proposal to defer for a year the conduct of the first parliamentary elections in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao in view of a recent Supreme Court ruling excluding Sulu from the BARMM.

Senate Minority Leader Aquilino Pimentel III said that although he has yet to see and read Senate Bill 2862, he is willing to listen to the dicussions on the matter tomorrow.

But Pimentel said in a Viber message to journalists yesterday that “the BARMM elections must push through.”

The holding of the BARMM parliamentary elections is provided under Republic Act 11054 or the Bangsamoro Organic Law.

Asked if he would vote against the measure authored by Senate President Francis Escudero, Pimentel said he would first listen to the discussions.

Like Pimentel, Sen. Imee Marcos is not inclined to support the call to defer the BARMM elections.

“I am opposed to it because it is necessary to hear the voice of the people. It is important to listen to our Muslim brothers and let them vote for the candidates they really like,” Marcos said.

She downplayed supposed threats of disorder and bombings that may possibly occur during the BARMM elections.

”I don’t want to be intimidated and I believe our Muslim brothers have put violence aside. They don’t want that kind of life anymore. That’s over,” Marcos said.

Meanwhile, Sen. Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa said he is open to discussions on Escudero’s proposal.

Dela Rosa said he is ambivalent about the proposal. He said most of the senators are not keen on another postponement, noting that the Senate first deferred the BARMM polls during the 18th Congress, from 2022 to 2025.

“When we deferred it during the 18th Congress, we committed that it would be the last postponement as another extension could result in repercussions,” Dela Rosa said.

Escudero has expressed confidence that President Marcos will certify as urgent his proposal, which he filed on Monday.

From May 2025, Escudero wants the polls moved to May 2026, to supposedly allow the BARMM to reconfigure the region’s jurisdiction and reallocate the seats of the 80-member parliament.

Apart from the exclusion of Sulu, Escudero said the hearing to be conducted by the Senate could clarify issues surrounding a move of the Bangsamoro Transition Authority parliament to create a new province called Kutawato, consisting of eight newly formed municipalities that were part of BARMM’s special geographic area.

Escudero said the new province necessitates the creation of a legislative district in order not to disenfranchise voters of eight affected municipalities – Kadayangan, Kapalawan, Ligawasan, Malidegao, Nabalawag, Old Kaabakan, Pahamuddin and Tugunan – which are located in North Cotabato. — Marc Jayson Cayabyab