Bill postponing BARMM elections certified as urgent

Bill postponing BARMM elections certified as urgent

/ 05:06 AM January 30, 2025

Bill postponing BARMM elections certified as urgent

President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. —Malacañang photo

MANILA, Philippines — President Marcos has asked Congress to speed up the passage of a measure that allows the postponement of the elections for the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) that will be held simultaneously with the midterm elections on May 12.

Presidential Communications Office Secretary Cesar Chavez confirmed earlier reports on the presidential certification, though Malacañang has yet to release a copy of the President’s letter to Congress.

Article continues after this advertisement

In a Viber message to reporters, Chavez said the postponement would allow the Bangsamoro transitional government to “realign its governance structure.”

FEATURED STORIES

READ: Senate bill resetting BARMM elections passes 2nd reading

“It will also ensure that the region’s aspirations for unity, inclusivity, and genuine autonomy are achieved,” he said.

Article continues after this advertisement

According to Chavez, a copy of the President’s certification was also transmitted to Speaker Martin Romualdez and Secretary Mark Llandro Mendoza, presidential adviser on legislative affairs.

Article continues after this advertisement

On Tuesday night, the Senate approved Senate Bill No. 2942, which seeks to reset again the first regular elections in BARMM to October this year.

Article continues after this advertisement

Senate President Francis Escudero was quoted in reports that the Senate was fasttracking the passage of the bill so that it would be passed on the third and final reading next week, foregoing the need for the President’s certification.

The House of Representatives passed its version of the BARMM election postponement in December. The lower chamber proposed to reset the polls to May 2026.

Article continues after this advertisement

Priority legislation

Under the 1987 Constitution, the President may certify bills as urgent, which is treated as a request for Congress to pass a measure more quickly.

When the President certifies a bill as “urgent,” it accelerates the legislative process in both the House of Representatives and the Senate and serves as a directive to lawmakers to prioritize the passage of the bill. The process allows the bypassing of certain procedural requirements that can otherwise delay its passage, shortens the review process, and allows for less time for debate.

Presidential certifications, however, are also frowned upon as they pose the risk of rushed decisions with lawmakers having limited time for consultation.

If passed into law, it will be the second postponement of the BARMM elections, originally scheduled for May 2022.

It was first postponed to 2025 through Republic Act No. 11593, signed by then-President Rodrigo Duterte in 2021.

Fresh calls were made to postpone the region’s first parliamentary elections after the Supreme Court affirmed in November last year its earlier ruling excluding Sulu province from BARMM.

Critics argued that postponing elections deprived the Bangsamoro people of their right to choose their leaders, undermining democratic processes and accountability.

Since its creation in 2019, BARMM has been governed by the Bangsamoro Transition Authority, composed of 80 presidential appointees—41 nominated by the Moro Islamic Liberation Front and 39 by the government. When the 2022 regional parliamentary election was reset to 2025, President Marcos appointed another set of BTA members.

Appointments

Meanwhile, Commission on Elections Chair George Erwin Garcia said printing of official ballots for the BARMM parliamentary polls would not yet proceed following Mr. Marcos’ directive to Congress.

“Because of [this] recent development, we did not yet proceed with the printing of the BARMM parliamentary ballots. Only the national and local elections ballots [are being printed],” Garcia told reporters in a Viber message.

“The reason is because we may end up opening the filing of candidacy anew for the region in the event of redistricting as a result of reapportionment of the slots originally assigned to Sulu,” he added, citing the impact of the high court decision excluding Sulu from BARMM.

Your subscription could not be saved. Please try again.
Your subscription has been successful.

Subscribe to our daily newsletter

By providing an email address. I agree to the Terms of Use and acknowledge that I have read the Privacy Policy.

Garcia was referring to the seven seats originally allotted for Sulu as part of the 32 district seats in the Bangsamoro Parliament. —with a report from Jerome Aning

TAGS: BARMM elections

Your subscription could not be saved. Please try again.
Your subscription has been successful.

Subscribe to our newsletter!

By providing an email address. I agree to the Terms of Use and acknowledge that I have read the Privacy Policy.

© Copyright 1997-2025 INQUIRER.net | All Rights Reserved

This is an information message

We use cookies to enhance your experience. By continuing, you agree to our use of cookies. Learn more here.