Governors divided over BARMM poll postponement

MANILA, Philippines —  Governors of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao expressed opposing views about the Senate bill that seeks to postpone the first BARMM parliamentary elections in 2025.

Senate President Francis Escudero filed the bill resetting the 2025 BARMM elections to May 2026, ostensibly because of the Supreme Court decision that excluded Sulu from BARMM.

Escudero said the polls should be postponed to give more time to reallocate Sulu’s nine seats in parliament to the other BARMM provinces.

During the Senate local government committee public hearing yesterday, Maguindanao del Sur Gov. Mariam Mangudadatu opposed the postponement, saying it would only benefit the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) that leads the Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA) and give the former rebel group more time to campaign and get elected.

“It seems that we are denying the Bangsamoro people the right to choose their own leaders. They will allow the same people to serve for seven years without any election or mandate from the people,” Mangudadatu said.

But Maguindanao del Norte Gov. Abdulraof Macacua said the postponement “is necessary and in the best interest of the region and its people” as this would allow more time to educate the Bangsamoro people about the parliamentary election process.

“Moving BARMM elections to a later date would allow ample time to address critical issues, ensuring that the electoral process will be transparent, fair and credible so that there will be sufficient time for planning and coordination, thereby reducing the risk of hasty preparation that could undermine the integrity of the process,” Macacua said.

BTA Deputy Speaker Omar Yasser Sema said “there is a collective sentiment in the Bangsamoro parliament that the exclusion of Sulu significantly affects the transition period and governance.”

“We cannot yet reallocate (the parliamentary seats) because we are still looking at our brothers and sisters in Sulu. These are very fundamental issues that touch on the very core of the Bangsamoro struggle. What is for Sulu, is for Sulu only,” Sema added.

Commission on Elections Chairman George Garcia said the issue should be resolved before December, when the ballots will be printed and the list of candidates finalized.

Sen. JV Ejercito, who chairs the local government committee, said the public hearing aims to get the side of the BARMM officials about the postponement, as he stressed the need for lasting peace in the region.

“This is not simply about determining whether the elections should proceed or not. The committee is looking forward to gaining a deeper understanding of the rationale behind these proposals, ensuring that any recommendation made is well-informed and in the best interest of our brothers and sisters in BARMM,” Ejercito said.

Some senators are not amenable to another extension of the BARMM elections. The Senate during the 18th Congress had postponed the 2022 BARMM elections to 2025.

Meanwhile, election watchdog Legal Network for Truthful Elections (LENTE) also opposed the move to postpone the first BARMM parliamentary elections.

LENTE said regular and periodic elections should only be postponed under exceptional and compelling circumstances. It stressed that the Supreme Court ruling excluding the province of  Sulu is not an “urgent, substantial or compelling justification” for postponement.

“Delaying elections risks undermining the democratic process by deferring the voters’ voice and leaving interim officials without a strong and direct mandate from the people,” LENTE said. –  Mayen Jaymalin