EDITORIAL - No-el in the BARMM

One of the tenets of democracy is the regular reaffirmation or change of leadership, through free and popular elections. The people render their verdict on officials’ performance through the power of the vote.

Having tasted elective office, however, too many politicians want to hold on to the post longer than what is allowed by law, if possible forever. This inevitably draws resentment from those who are expecting elections on a specific date and are intending to challenge the incumbent officials. Frustrating this expectation can lead to violence that in this country often turns deadly.

These issues must be considered as Congress tackles an appeal to postpone the first-ever parliamentary elections in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao. The appeal was made after the Supreme Court ruled last September that Sulu must be excluded from the BARMM. The postponement aims to pave the way for the amendment of the Bangsamoro Autonomy Act No. 58, the law creating the BARMM parliamentary districts, to redistribute the parliamentary seats. BAA No. 58 provides for 80 parliamentary seats, for 32 district, 40 party-list and eight sectoral representatives. Sulu had seven seats.

Sulu should not have been included in the BARMM in the first place, since the province had rejected the Bangsamoro Organic Law during the 2019 plebiscite for its ratification. The Supreme Court upheld the Organic law, Republic Act 11054, but granted Sulu’s petition to be excluded from the autonomous region because the province had rejected the law.

In the light of the SC ruling, the Commission on Elections was asked to reset the filing period for certificates of candidacy in the BARMM polls. The Comelec moved the date from Oct. 1-8 to Nov. 4-9. If reallocation of parliamentary seats will be done, it need not take until 2026 – the period being proposed by Senate President Chiz Escudero in a bill he filed yesterday, resetting the BARMM parliamentary elections.

In Metro Manila, there is a similar problem over the “embo” barangays, which have been carved out of Makati and transferred to Taguig. But the two cities are pushing ahead with the midterm elections. Why should it take the BARMM two years to adjust to the exclusion of Sulu?

Violence remains a serious threat in the BARMM. Only last week, 17 people were killed in a clash in Maguindanao del Sur between two factions of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front reportedly over a land dispute. “No-el,” or no elections in this country always triggers destabilization. A prolonged postponement of the BARMM parliamentary elections could spark more violence.