COTABATO CITY(January 13) — The Bangsamoro legislature is set to pass a long-awaited districting bill on Monday, a crucial step toward finally holding the repeatedly deferred parliamentary elections in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).
The measure, Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA) Bill 415, is expected to clear third and final reading after being certified as urgent by Interim Chief Minister Abdulraof Macacua, according to BTA Deputy Speaker Atty. Sha Elijah Dumama-Alba.
Comelec has long flagged the absence of a districting law as the main obstacle to conducting BARMM’s first regular parliamentary elections, now scheduled for March 30, 2026, following multiple postponements.
Bill 415 is among six pending proposals seeking to configure BARMM’s 32 single-seat parliamentary districts. It was jointly adopted by the BTA Committees on Rules and Local Governments a day before the interim parliament adjourned on Dec. 19.
An earlier attempt to pass the bill failed after a special session called on Dec. 29 did not materialize due to lack of quorum. Many BTA members were then on vacation outside the region, including more than 20 officials who traveled to Saudi Arabia for Umrah.
District allocation, Marawi issue
Under Bill 415, the 32 districts are allocated as follows: four for Basilan; nine for Lanao del Sur including Marawi City; four for Tawi-Tawi; five each for Maguindanao del Norte and Maguindanao del Sur; three for Cotabato City; and two for the eight-town Special Geographic Area (SGA).
However, the bill is expected to be amended during plenary deliberations, particularly on the allocation for Marawi City. As filed, the measure assigns only one parliamentary district to Marawi—despite its population being larger than that of the SGA.
Dumama-Alba said the bill may be harmonized with BTA Bill 407, filed by Speaker Mohammad Yacob and other Moro Islamic Liberation Front–aligned members, which proposes two parliamentary districts for Marawi City.
Macacua has publicly supported granting Marawi a second seat, saying the city “highly deserves” greater representation.
National backing, election timeline
Momentum for the bill’s passage has also been strengthened by endorsements from national officials and congressional leaders.
The Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation and Unity (OPAPRU), through Assistant Secretary Jordan Bayam, last week urged the swift enactment of a districting law to enable the Commission on Elections to proceed with the BARMM parliamentary polls.
Macacua earlier said the immediate holding of elections would allow voters to choose their regular parliament representatives and dispel speculation that appointed BTA members were deliberately delaying the districting law for political advantage.
Comelec spokesperson John Rex Laudiangco said the poll body had suspended the Jan. 4–9 filing of certificates of candidacy pending the passage of the districting measure.
Laudiangco added that Comelec remains committed to holding the BARMM elections on March 30, 2026, in accordance with the Supreme Court’s prescribed calendar.
