Comelec doubts BARMM March polls

THE Commission on Elections (Comelec) cast doubts on Tuesday over whether the Philippines can realistically hold the first-ever Bangsamoro parliamentary elections by March 30, citing unresolved legal questions and tightening operational timelines linked to districting rules and pending legislation.

Comelec Chairman George Erwin M. Garcia told reporters over Viber that the poll body was “confronted with strong legal and operational issues” affecting the feasibility of the scheduled elections, even as it welcomed the Bangsamoro Parliament’s recent passage of a long-delayed electoral measure.

“We are now confronted with strong legal and operational issues as to whether the conduct of the first Bangsamoro parliamentary election is still feasible by March 30,” Mr. Garcia said.

“Since there is no law yet fixing the date of the election, at this point, the same is still a question mark.”

Mr. Garcia said that Comelec had earlier fixed March 30 as the election date pursuant to existing mandates, but the newly passed Bangsamoro districting law — once signed and made effective — could collide directly with that prohibition.

“The Supreme Court clearly emphasized that there should be no redistricting 120 days before the election. Since as mandated by the decision, we fixed the date of election on March 30, 2026, this will now run contrary to the prohibition mentioned and the provision of the law,” Mr. Garcia said.

Asked directly whether the election in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) could be postponed again, Mr. Garcia said it was too early to give a definitive answer.

“We are not yet prepared to answer that question this early,” he said. — Erika Mae P. Sinaking