Zubiri files bill to reset BARMM polls

MANILA, Philippines — Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri has filed a bill seeking to reset the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao’s first parliamentary elections to March 30, citing the long-delayed exercise of the region’s right to elect its own leaders.

Zubiri filed Senate Bill 1587, which proposes to amend Article XVI, Section 13 of Republic Act No. 11054, or the Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL). Under the measure, officials elected in the 2026 polls would assume office at noon of April 30 following the election.

The bill also provides that subsequent BARMM elections be synchronized with the 2028 national and local polls and every three years thereafter.

“It has been more than six years since the BARMM was established, and the Bangsamoro people have yet to exercise their power to elect their own leaders. The core principles of BOL is self-governance and self-determination, and these cannot be achieved without the people’s right to vote,” Zubiri said.

If enacted, the measure tasks the Commission on Elections, through the Bangsamoro Electoral Office, to promulgate and enforce rules for the conduct of the polls in accordance with national law, the BOL and the Bangsamoro Electoral Code.

Zubiri said the proposal comes amid recent Supreme Court rulings that have altered the legal and political framework for the elections.

These include the exclusion of Sulu from BARMM and the nullification of the Bangsamoro Parliament’s 2025 redistricting law, with the Court ordering a valid reapportionment before elections may proceed.

The rulings, he said, require election authorities to revise preparations, including the allocation of parliamentary seats and the configuration of precincts and ballots.

Earlier this week, the Bangsamoro Parliament passed the Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA) Bill No. 415 providing the framework for the region’s parliamentary districts ahead of the planned elections.

Under the BOL, the Bangsamoro Parliament consists of at least 80 members, with half elected through party representation, not more than 40 percent from single-member districts and at least 10 percent reserved for sectoral representatives, including non-Moro indigenous peoples, settler communities, women, youth, traditional leaders and the ulama.

“We all know what’s at stake here: a Bangsamoro government elected freely by its people. Which is why it is important that the election pushes through,” Zubiri said.

The bill also provides that the BTA will continue to serve as the interim regional government during the extended transition period, unless interim members are replaced by the President or elected to other posts.

The BTA will remain in place until successors are elected and qualified in an automated election.