House OKs bill resetting BARMM polls to September 2026

MANILA, Philippines – The House of Representatives on Tuesday, March 10, approved on third and final reading a bill resetting the date of the first regional parliamentary elections in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) to September 2026.

The committees on suffrage and electoral reforms and appropriations filed the bill last March 2. The Senate had already approved a counterpart measure on March 3.

The bill resets the election date to the second Monday of September 2026 (September 14, in this case) and every three years after. Election officials will assume office by December 1, according to the bill.

Independent watchdogs have warned that repeated delays to the polls may only result in more bloodshed and sow distrust that may undo the gains of the Bangsamoro peace process.

The parliamentary polls in the region were originally scheduled in 2022, synchronized with the national elections. It had been repeatedly delayed due to Sulu’s exclusion from the region in 2024 and the Supreme Court ruling districting laws unconstitutional.

The proposed election date is way beyond the initial Supreme Court deadline for the polls to be conducted not later than March 31, 2026. – Rappler.com