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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider Mindanao devider Comelec decision to suspend parliamentary poll preparations backed

Comelec decision to suspend parliamentary poll preparations backed

Published Sep 18, 2025 02:26 pm
DAVAO CITY – Election watchdogs in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao backed the decision of the Commission on Elections to suspend preparations for the upcoming first parliamentary elections in the region next month amid legal woes.
In a statement, the Independent Election Monitoring Center (IEMC) said that it fully supports the Comelec decision to halt preparations for the Oct. 13 elections in the Bangsamoro region “until the Supreme Court clarifies the implications of its order temporarily enjoining the implementation of BAA 77.”
The IEMC issued the statement after the Comelec en banc headed by Chairman George Erwin Garcia ordered the suspension on Sept. 17 following the SC’s move to halt Bangsamoro Autonomy Act 77, which reorganizes parliamentary districts in the BARMM and reallocates seven seats initially assigned to Sulu province.
The SC ruled in September 2024 to exclude Sulu which used to have seven parliamentary district seats.
The IEMC said that the Comelec is correct in asserting that neither BAA 77 nor the repealed BAA 58 can serve as a legal foundation for the parliamentary district elections scheduled on Oct. 13.
The poll watchdog urged the SC, Comelec, and the Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA) to immediately resolve the outstanding legal issues surrounding the first parliamentary elections to enable the elections to proceed on Oct. 13.
“It is crucial to emphasize that repeated postponements of elections in the BARMM undermine the integrity of the electoral process and erode the public's trust in elections as a vital means of citizen expression and representation in governance,” IEMC said.
The IEMC is a collaborative initiative led by the Institute for Autonomy and Governance (IAG), National Citizens’ Movement for Free Elections (Namfrel), Notre Dame University (NDU), Notre Dame Broadcasting Corp. (NDBC), Climate and Conflict Action Asia (CCAA), Coalition for Social Accountability and Transparency (CSAT), Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting (PPCRV), and new convener Notre Dame of Midsayap College (NDMC).
According to the group, over 2.3 million registered voters are set to elect 73 of the 80 parliamentary seats in BARMM.
The remaining seven seats, which were originally allocated to Sulu, was excluded from the region following a SC ruling.
These were subsequently reapportioned to other provinces and cities under Bangsamoro Autonomy Act 77.
However, these seats will not appear on the Oct. 13 ballot after the Comelec ruled it too late to implement the new redistricting.
The IEMC noted that as far as the ballots being printed are concerned, the 80-seat Bangsamoro Parliament remains composed of 40 party representatives, 32 single district representatives, and eight sectoral seats.
However, only 25 of the 32 single district seats will be contested in this election amid the pending redistricting.

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