Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel “Migz” Zubiri sponsored on Wednesday, Feb. 11, Senate Bill No. 1823, a measure that resets the first regular Bangsamoro Parliament elections to the second Monday of September 2026 and every three years thereafter.

“This is the fourth postponement, and it has to be the final one,” Zubiri said.

Under the Bangsamoro Organic Law, the parliamentary elections were originally set to coincide with the May 2022 national and local polls, but a series of unforeseen developments over the past four years have forced repeated delays, raising concerns about eroding public trust in the peace process and democratic transition in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.

“We cannot delay our people’s right to vote any longer. To do so would be to undo our hard-earned gains of peace and progress in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao,” said the Majority Leader, who authored and sponsored the Bangsamoro Organic Law.

The upcoming BARMM election will mark the first time that the Bangsamoro people will be able to elect their own representatives in the Bangsamoro Parliament – an eighty-member body composed of district representatives, party representatives, and sectoral representatives.

Also a salient provision of the bill is mandating a three-year term for elected Members of Parliament.

“Hindi na po tayo magkakagulo sa usapin ng termino ng mga Members of Parliament. To allay fears of those who will run in September 2026, we are not going to shorten their terms, Mr. President, for the record,” Zubiri stressed.

“Hindi na po natin sila isasabay sa national election, para kumpleto pong makapagsilbi ng three-year term ang mga mananalong Members of Parliament ngayong taon,” he continued.

Presenting a timeline of the Bangsamoro election delays, Zubiri explained that the first postponement from May 2022 to May 2025 was due to the pandemic.

A second postponement arose from the Supreme Court decision excluding the Province of Sulu from the BARMM, a ruling that necessitated the reallocation of the seven parliamentary seats originally belonging to Sulu. This decision pushed the election back from May 2025 to October 2025.

By September, another Supreme Court decision triggered a third postponement, as the Court declared the Bangsamoro Parliamentary Redistricting Act unconstitutional for gerrymandering.

The Bangsamoro Transition Authority was directed to enact a new redistricting act by October 30, 2025, and to hold the election no later than March 2026.

The BTA, however, was not able to pass the new redistricting act until January 12, 2026.

“The missed deadline means that we will unfortunately, have to enact a fourth postponement. From March 31, we are now proposing that the first regular election of the Bangsamoro Parliament be held on the Second Monday of September, or September 14, 2026,” Zubiri said.

He explained that September is the “best, earliest, and most practicable date for the election,” considering the preparations that the Commission on Elections will have to undertake, which includes opening up a general registration for voters and party and sectoral representatives.

Zubiri insisted, however, that September is the “absolute final date” for the elections, fearing that another delay will stir unrest in the Bangsamoro region.

“By delaying and delaying and delaying the election, we are eroding our people’s trust in both the Bangsamoro government and the national government. And if they are disappointed and disenfranchised by the government, where else would they turn? What choice do we leave them with? Huwag nating hintayin na ang ipalit sa balota ay bala.”

Zubiri reported that Senate Bill No. 1823 has been included in the Common Legislative Agenda of the legislative and the executive.