DAVAO CITY – The Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao leadership has lauded lawmakers following the approval of Senate Bill No. 2942 that would reset the first parliamentary elections in the region from May 12 to Oct. 13 this year.

In a statement, the Bangsamoro government said that the resetting of the elections is a necessary step to fully implement the remaining aspects of the transition plan, including key governance reforms and the institutionalization of structures mandated by the Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL) and the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB).
“In addition, this measure will provide ample time to address legal and security concerns that directly impact the integrity and inclusivity of the electoral process. Among these is the exclusion of the province of Sulu from the BARMM, which has profound implications for the region's territorial jurisdiction, governance, and representation,” BARMM added in the statement.
Senate President Francis Escudero and House Speaker Martin Romualdez filed SB 2862 and House Bill 11034, respectively, seeking postponement of the first parliamentary elections in the Bangsamoro region.
President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. on Jan. 29 certified the bill postponing the elections as urgent, saying that the move "would address the urgent need of the Bangsamoro transitional government to realign its governance structure."
Senate Deputy Majority Leader Joseph Victor "JV" Ejercito, author and sponsor of the bill, said the measure provides necessary breathing room to address the implications of the exclusion of Sulu from BARMM following the Supreme Court ruling on Sept. 9, 2024.
The SC said that the inclusion of Sulu in the Bangsamoro region is void for being unconstitutional, resulting in the need to reapportion the seven district seats originally designated for Sulu.