Comelec seeks BARMM’s ‘critical cooperation’ in new poll machines’ use

Commission on Elections Chairperson George Garcia (INQUIRER file photo/NIÑO JESUS ORBETA)

MANILA, Philippines — Commission on Elections (Comelec) is prepared to hold the very first parliamentary elections in Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) in 2025.

Comelec chairperson George Garcia made the remark on Wednesday during the Senate committee hearing on Transitional Justice and Reconciliation Act for Bangsamoro.

The parliamentary elections, the first of its kind in the region, will produce leaders that will seat in the 80-member Parliament.

It will be composed of 40 party representatives, 32 district representatives and eight sectoral representatives.

“As far as the Comelec is concerned, we are prepared to conduct the Bangsamoro parliamentary election by 2025,” Garcia told lawmakers.

He also emphasized the roles of local government and teachers in the political exercise.

“We are going to request for critical cooperation and collaboration with the Bangsamoro government because of the new machines that the Comelec will use,” he said.

“We’d like to fully disseminate and educate the people on how to use these new machines,” he explained.

The parliamentary elections will be conducted alongside national and local elections (NLE) in May 2025.

Garcia said voters in BARMM will have two ballots – one for NLE and another for the parliamentary polls.