President Marcos has declared Sept. 14, 2026, a special non-working day in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) to allow residents to participate in the region’s first regular parliamentary elections.

Proclamation No. 1395, signed on Aug. 18 by Acting Executive Secretary Ralph Recto by authority of the President, said the declaration would give Bangsamoro residents the opportunity to fully exercise their right to vote.

“In order to give the people of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao the opportunity to actively and fully participate in the election and exercise their right to vote, it is but fitting and proper to declare Monday, 14 September 2026, as a special (non-working) day,” the proclamation stated.

The Sept. 14 polls were set under Republic Act (RA) No. 12317, which further amended the Bangsamoro Organic Law and moved the first regular elections to the second Monday of September 2026.

Malacañang on Monday, Aug. 17,  said the elections would proceed as scheduled despite the attempted ambush of BARMM Interim Chief Minister Abdulraof “Sammy Gambar” Macacua on Aug. 15.

Presidential Communications Office (PCO) Undersecretary and Palace Press Officer Claire Castro said President Marcos wanted the elections to continue as part of the region’s transition toward democratic governance.

“Katulad ng nabanggit natin na mensahe ng Pangulo, hindi po ito (ambush) makakapigil sa anumang balak na magkaroon ng tuloy-tuloy na pagbabago para sa pagkakaroon ng pamahalaang demokratiko sa komunidad ng BARMM (As we have mentioned in the President’s message, this [ambush] will not prevent the continuing changes toward democratic governance in the BARMM community),” she said.

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) had described the ambush as an isolated incident and maintained that the region remained generally peaceful.

Macacua survived the attempted ambush when gunmen fired assault rifles at his convoy along the national highway in Barangay Bitu, Datu Odin Sinsuat, Maguindanao del Norte, with three vehicles, including his bulletproof Toyota Land Cruiser, hit by gunfire.

Castro said the Philippine National Police (PNP) was continuing its investigation to identify those behind the attack, while President Marcos had ordered government agencies to strengthen security in BARMM and conduct a thorough investigation.

The first BARMM parliamentary elections have been postponed four times, beginning with the original May 9, 2022, schedule, which was moved to May 12, 2025, under RA No. 11593.

The polls were then moved to Oct. 13, 2025, under RA No. 12123, before subsequent legal and redistricting issues led to further delays and eventually the current Sept. 14, 2026, schedule.

The repeated postponements have prolonged the BARMM transition period, which was originally intended to end with the assumption of office of elected regional officials in 2022.

The Sept. 14 election is expected to mark the transition from the appointed Bangsamoro Transition Authority to an elected regional government, making it a key step in the implementation of the Bangsamoro peace process.