House bill seeking to move BARMM polls to May 2026 filed

MANILA, Philippines — A bill seeking to reset the first general elections in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) from May 12, 2025 to May 11, 2026 was filed at the House of Representatives.

House Bill (HB) 11034 aims to ensure “a well-prepared and effective transition for the Bangsamoro people, aligned with the request of the Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA) and recent developments in the region.”

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Under the bill, which was filed on Tuesday, November 5, the next polls after the proposed postponement will be held every three years.

Once approved, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr will appoint 80 new interim members of the BTA, who will “serve until their successors are elected and qualified,” according to the measure.

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According to Speaker Martin Romualdez, the BTA has requested an extension of the transition period through its Resolution No. 641.

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“This additional time would allow the BTA to fulfill its mandate of laying down the essential foundations for self-governance in the Bangsamoro, including passing crucial laws, building institutions, and creating systems needed to support the future BARMM government,” his statement issued on Wednesday reads.

He also pointed out that the Supreme Court’s decision declaring Sulu province as not part of the BARMM “further complicated preparations for the 2025 elections.”

“The exclusion of Sulu has created a legal vacuum in the BARMM Parliament’s composition, particularly concerning the allocation of parliamentary district seats,” he added. “With Sulu removed from BARMM jurisdiction, the parliamentary seat allocations require recalibration, a process demanding time and extensive legislative adjustments to reflect the region’s new structure accurately.”

Citing the BTA, Romualdez said conducting the polls in 2025 could result in operational and representational gaps, which could “hinder” the region’s effective governance and stability.

“This postponement is not a delay in progress, but rather a necessary step to ensure that the foundations we are building for BARMM are solid and capable of supporting a sustainable autonomous government,” he added.