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P2.5 billion needed to reset BARMM polls – Comelec

Mayen Jaymalin, Jose Rodel Clapano - The Philippine Star
P2.5 billion needed to reset BARMM polls – Comelec
This file photo shows the executive building of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.
The STAR / John Unson

MANILA, Philippines —  Holding parliamentary elections for the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) separately from the midterm polls in May will require P2.5 billion in additional funding, Commission on Elections (Comelec) Chairman George Garcia said yesterday.

“And because it’s separate elections, it will be like special elections requiring separate logistics, teachers and ballots,” Garcia said. “We’ll need P2.5 billion to launch an election for parliament for the Bangsamoro.”

The first-ever BARMM parliamentary election was supposed to be held simultaneously with the 2025 midterm elections in May.

Garcia said that a resetting of the BARMM polls to October is almost certain, with President Marcos having already certified as urgent a proposed measure postponing the exercise.

Garcia said only after the measure has been enacted will the Comelec decide if there will be a need for another filing of candidacy for the BARMM polls.

Furthermore, he said that if the polls were reset, the Bangsamoro Parliament has to come out with a law to distribute the seven Sulu parliamentary seats to other provinces. The Supreme Court previously ruled that Sulu is not part of BARMM.

Senators, meanwhile, have expressed hope the House of Representatives would adopt their version of the bill postponing BARMM elections to Oct. 13. The House version, approved last December, sets a one-year suspension of the polls.

“The executive which recommended it said a five month-postponement should be enough. Malacañang’s certification – although the Senate was not able to use it – is a message that this is an urgent measure that we hope to pass before the break,” Sen. JV Ejercito said at the Kapihan sa Senado forum yesterday.

“We hope to ratify a reconciled version before the break. We can meet halfway and strike a compromise. But if the House will accede, they can just adopt the Senate version on the election date,” Ejercito said.

Senate President Francis Escudero is also trying to convince the House to adopt the Senate version of the measure.

“I would hope so given that we carried the preferred period of the executive branch, which, in turn, was the product of much debate and discussion principally among our security and election officials,” Escudero said.

Sen. Juan Miguel Zubiri, for his part, said he hopes to resolve the exclusion of Sulu from BARMM by filing a bill extending the term of the Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA) so it can call for another plebiscite.

Ejercito said that while Zubiri’s bill is noble and recognizes Sulu’s role in the Bangsamoro struggle, it would take a “miracle” for Sulu to be able to participate in the upcoming parliamentary elections.

“Sulu has always been part of the struggle of the Bangsamoro people. We don’t want another spark of rebellion or secessionist movement in the future because of the exclusion,” Ejercito said.

Lanao del Sur 1st district Rep. Zia Adiong lauded Marcos’ certification of the measure resetting the BARMM elections.

He said Marcos’ decision has shown that the national government is committed to ensuring the BARMM elections will promote “stability, inclusivity and genuine representation.”

“I express my deep gratitude to President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. for certifying as urgent the bill resetting the first regular parliamentary elections in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, of which I am one of the principal authors in the House of Representatives,” Adiong said in a statement.

“But with this crucial step, we affirm our collective dedication to a peaceful, credible, and successful transition toward a fully functioning parliamentary government in BARMM,” he added.

“We remain steadfast in our commitment to working with all stakeholders, both at the national and regional levels, to uphold the aspirations of the Bangsamoro people and ensure that when elections are held, they reflect the true will of our constituents,” Adiong said.

Birth registration program

Meanwhile, around 130,000 unregistered individuals at risk of statelessness in BARMM are expected to benefit from a Japan-funded program for the facilitation of birth registration of unregistered children.

Japanese Ambassador Kazuya Endo attended the handover ceremony for “The Project for Promoting Digital Birth Registration of Populations at Risk of Statelessness in Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao” last Tuesday in Davao City.

The ceremony was attended by Director Hasim Guiamil of the Programs and Operations Services, Ministry of Social Services and Development of BARMM and United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Philippines Head of National Office Ms. Maria Ermina Valdeavilla-Gallardo.

“The project will be implemented by the UNHCR for a duration of 30 months. It also aims to benefit 130,000 unregistered individuals, with 800,000 more indirectly benefiting in the next 10 years,” the embassy said.

In his speech, Endo expressed hopes that “this project will be a success and prove to be instrumental in the attainment of an enduring peace and prosperity that will cascade over the generations to come.”

The project will target 50 communities in Lanao del Sur, Maguindanao del Norte, Maguindanao del Sur, Basilan, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi. - Marc Jayson Cayabyab, Pia Lee-Brago

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