MANILA (October 8) — The Commission on Elections (Comelec) is considering holding a manual parliamentary election in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) next year to meet the Supreme Court’s March 31, 2026 deadline, a move that could mark a rare return to hand-counted voting in the region.
Comelec spokesman John Rex Laudiangco said Tuesday that the poll body is studying two contingency options to ensure compliance with the high court’s order.
“We are studying the possibility of holding a manual election to comply with the Supreme Court decision,” Laudiangco said in a Bagong Pilipinas Ngayon briefing.
“The second plan is to move the election date if there is really not enough time to do it in March.”
Tight timeline, legal challenges
The Supreme Court had earlier directed Comelec to hold the first BARMM parliamentary elections by March 31, 2026 — months earlier than the national elections — following a ruling that declared the Bangsamoro Autonomy Act Nos. 58 and 77 unconstitutional.
The court also gave the Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA) until Oct. 30 to pass a new law redistricting BARMM, which will define the parliamentary seats up for election.
Laudiangco warned that if the new law is completed only after that deadline, the Comelec will have very little time to prepare, especially for an automated election that requires logistics, testing, and voter education.
“If the law comes out late, we might not have enough time to print ballots, configure machines, and train teachers and electoral boards,” he said.
Manual voting seen as feasible
Given the compressed timeline, Laudiangco said a manual voting system could be more practical, particularly since BARMM voters would only be choosing two sets of representatives — one for regional political parties and another for district representatives.
He said manual elections are feasible in smaller or geographically challenging areas and would still uphold transparency and accuracy under strict Comelec supervision.
Why the BARMM polls matter
The 2026 vote will mark the first-ever parliamentary election in the Bangsamoro region, officially transitioning the Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA) into a regular, elected government under the Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL).
It will be a critical test of governance for the region, which was established in 2019 following decades of peace negotiations between the national government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).
The Comelec said it remains committed to conducting a credible election that reflects the will of BARMM residents — whether automated or manual.
“The goal is to ensure that the people of Bangsamoro will finally elect their first set of parliament members in a fair, transparent, and peaceful manner,” Laudiangco said.
