The Office of the Chief Minister (OCM) building in Cotabato City. (Marhom Ibrahim/BIO)
CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY(February 24) — The Commission on Elections (Comelec) is pressing for the first-ever Bangsamoro Parliament Election (BPE) to be held in 2026, warning that delaying it to 2027 or merging it with the 2028 national polls would dilute focus from choosing the country’s next president and vice president.
“We have to focus on electing the president and the vice president. The 2028 is crucial for us,” Comelec Chairman George Erwin Garcia said Friday.
Legislative push to reset polls
In the Senate, Senate Bill 1823, sponsored by Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri, seeks to reset the first regular Bangsamoro Parliament elections to Sept. 14, 2026, and every three years thereafter.
At the House of Representatives, House Bill 7236, authored by Zia Alonto Adiong, proposes holding the polls on Sept. 28, 2026, also on a three-year cycle.
Garcia said Comelec is prepared to conduct the BPE this September, though recent actions by the Bangsamoro Parliament — including a new districting law and amendments to the electoral code — will require operational adjustments.
Redistricting reshapes the race
On Jan. 13, 2026, the Bangsamoro Parliament passed Parliamentary Bill 415, reconfiguring 32 single-member parliamentary districts across the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), covering six provinces and three cities — excluding Sulu following a Supreme Court ruling.
The law defines compact and contiguous districts for electing 32 district members of parliament, alongside 40 party-list and eight sectoral representatives. Voters will cast two ballots: one for a party and another for a district representative.
Amendments to the Bangsamoro Electoral Code approved on Jan. 28 removed the “None of the Above” option and revised party-list and sectoral representation rules. Sectoral seats will shift from organizational selection in 2026 to direct voter elections in 2028.
Garcia said these changes will lengthen ballots, require updated accreditations for parties and sectoral groups, and mandate revisions to voter rolls, including precinct regrouping under the new boundaries.
Peace process factor
Despite tight timelines, Garcia stressed that postponement is not advisable.
“At all costs, the BPE should not happen in 2027… and it should not be conducted alongside the 2028 elections,” he emphasized.
Comelec is also closely monitoring the normalization track under the 2014 peace agreement between the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, noting that the BPE is intertwined with the peace process in BARMM.
“We always have to factor in the conduct of the BPE in the peace process. The election in BARMM is part of the talks on the peace process,” Garcia said.
He clarified that recent violent incidents in the region are not yet election-related but are largely attributed to rido or clan feuds, as no valid certificates of candidacy are currently on file.
All candidacies filed from Nov. 4 to 9, 2023 were voided after the Supreme Court struck down earlier districting measures for violating constitutional requirements on contiguity, population equality, and the 120-day rule before an election.
With new districts in place and election rules revised, Comelec now faces the twin challenge of logistical preparation and safeguarding a fragile peace — while keeping the Bangsamoro vote on a timetable separate from the high-stakes 2028 national race.
