.png){kind=logo}
3 hours ago
1
Upgrade to High-Speed Internet for only ₱1499/month!
Enjoy up to 100 Mbps fiber broadband, perfect for browsing, streaming, and gaming.
Visit Suniway.ph to learn
The BARMM administration building in Cotabato City.
PNA / Photo courtesy of Bangsamoro Information Office-BARMM
MANILA, Philippines — Malacañang has called for the immediate passage of the House counterpart measure on the Bangsamoro Parliamentary Elections (BPE), after the Senate approved on third and final reading Senate Bill No. 1823, resetting the first regular polls in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) from March to September 2026.
Special Assistant to the President (SAP) Anton Lagdameo Jr. stressed the message of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., emphasizing that the conduct of the BARMM parliamentary elections is an urgent priority of the administration and must be implemented as soon as possible.
Lagdameo said the president views the first BPE as a historic and decisive step in completing the Bangsamoro political transition, stressing that an elected parliament would solidify democratic autonomy in the region.
“The first BARMM parliamentary elections will be a historic moment not just for the region but for the entire nation. It is an opportunity for the Bangsamoro to shape their parliament directly and to prove that democracy here is strong,” Lagdameo said, echoing the Marcos’ earlier pronouncements on the importance of the polls.
He noted that during a recent meeting of the Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council (LEDAC), the measure covering the BARMM parliamentary elections was included among the administration’s priority legislative agenda. The president then earlier expressed readiness to certify the bill as urgent if necessary to ensure its timely enactment and implementation.
According to Lagdameo, Malacanang wants the elections carried out without further delay to complete the transition from an appointed interim authority to a fully elected regional parliament, in line with the peace framework established under the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB).
With the Senate’s approval of Senate Bill No. 1823, which resets the first regular BARMM parliamentary elections from March to the second Monday of September 2026, the Palace is urging the House of Representatives to swiftly pass its version of the measure to allow preparations to proceed.
Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri, whose chamber unanimously approved the bill, described the elections as a decisive test for the durability of the Bangsamoro peace process, saying long-term stability must be anchored on a credible electoral mandate.
He thanked fellow senators for their support, calling the measure “one step forward to achieving peace in the Bangsamoro region,” and underscored that the successful conduct of the polls would mark the full transition to a democratically elected parliament of the region.
Malacañang maintained that with the Senate measure passed, swift House action is crucial to ensure that the first regular BARMM Parliamentary Elections are implemented on schedule in September 2026, completing what the President has described as a democratic milestone for both the Bangsamoro and the nation. (Contributed story)
