House Deputy Minority Leader and Basilan Rep. Mujiv Hataman on Tuesday, Feb. 4, opposed his fellow lawmakers' move to reset the upcoming Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) elections from May 12 to Oct. 13, 2025.

"If we really want peace, let the Bangsamoro people freely choose their own leaders through the elections in May 2025," he said after refusing to sign the committee report when he participated in the Bicameral Conference Committee discussions on the bill.

For Hataman, the six-year transition period that the region has already undergone is already enough time for the Bangsamoro people to choose their own leaders.

Since the creation of the BARMM in 2019, it has only been the ad interim leaders, selected by the President, who are governing the region.

"Ang eleksyon ay isang paraan upang magkaroon ng pananagutan sa mamamayan ang kung sino man ang mamamahala sa BARMM (The elections are one way to hold whoever are leaders of the BARMM accountable to the people who have elected them)," he said.

"Hindi natin pwedeng gawing normal ang patuloy na pagpapaliban ng halalan (We cannot normalize the continued postponement of the elections)," Hataman added.

Hataman says he is against the postponement of the elections because polls are an important part of democracy.

He said the Bangsamoro people must now be granted their right to vote.

He also rejected an offshoot of resetting the elections, which was the shortened terms of office of those who will be elected in October 2025.

"Ang mandato ng ating Saligang Batas ay malinaw: tatlong taon ang termino ng mga halal na opisyal sa lokal na pamahalaan. Pero sa panukalang ito, hindi nila matatapos ang kanilang full term (The mandate of the Constitution is clear: elected local government officials must serve for three years. But under this measure, BARMM officials won't be able to finish their full term),” he argued.

According to the bicam-approved version, those who will be elected in October 2025 will serve only until June 30, 2028, instead of completing a full three-year term until 2028.

This contradicts the constitutional mandate on the tenure of local officials, he said.

Despite his opposition to the postponement, Hataman welcomed the inclusion of key provisions from the House version of the bill, particularly the funding allocation for Sulu and the automation of the BARMM elections.