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Comelec suspends COC filing for 2026 BARMM polls

Philippines | National

Comelec suspends COC filing for 2026 BARMM polls

By Dhel Nazario

At A Glance

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) suspended the filing of certificates of candidacy (COC) for the 2026 Bangsamoro Parliamentary Elections (BPE), originally set for Jan. 5 to 9, 2026, pending the enactment of a parliamentary districting law by the Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA).

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) announced late Monday, Dec. 22 that it suspended the scheduled filing of certificates of candidacy (COC) for the 2026 Bangsamoro Parliamentary Elections (BPE).

Comelec office in Manila (Wikipedia)

Comelec office in Manila (Wikipedia)

In a statement, Comelec says that under Resolution No. 11183 promulgated on Dec. 22, 2025, the COC filing period has been deferred pending the enactment of a parliamentary districting law by the Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA).

The period was originally set for Jan. 5 to 9 under Resolution No. 11181 promulgated on Nov. 19, 2025.

Comelec set the BPE on March 30, 2026, despite the lack of redistricting law for the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).

The Supreme Court (SC) had directed the BTA to determine parliamentary districts by Oct. 30, 2025. Comelec noted that no such redistricting has been enacted.

With this, the Commission en banc deemed it proper to suspend the COC filing period to ensure the election process aligns with the finalized districts.

"A new filing period will be determined and fixed by the Comelec once the BTA enacts the necessary parliamentary districting," the poll body said.

Related Tags

BARMM BARMM polls Commission on Elections (COMELEC) Supreme Court

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