Marcos Jr., Chiz discuss BARMM poll postponement

MANILA, Philippines —  Senate President Francis Escudero yesterday confirmed that he met with President Marcos on Tuesday night to talk about the proposed postponement of the first parliamentary elections in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).

Escudero said they discussed his call for the President to replace the 35 officials of the Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA) who have filed certificates of candidacy (COCs).

Escudero reiterated his position that BTA members who have filed COCs should be deemed resigned from their posts.

“It is against the Constitution if a civil service worker participates in a political activity. The 35 BTA members who filed their COCs should be deemed resigned,” Escudero said in a press briefing yesterday.

He said he did not ask the President to certify as urgent his bill on the BARMM poll postponement.

Earlier, Escudero said he expects his proposal to be certified as urgent by the President to fast-track its approval.

He said that preparations being done by the Commission on Elections for the 2025 midterm elections would not be delayed if the Senate takes time in approving the measure.

Escudero expressed hope the Senate would be able to pass the measure before the session adjourns in February, or months before the May 2025 elections.

A similar bill to defer the BARMM electoral exercise was also filed by Speaker Martin Romualdez.

Both measures cited the exclusion of Sulu from BARMM as among the reasons for the postponement.