The House Committee on Suffrage and Electoral Reforms recently took a decisive step by endorsing a proposal to hold the first regular Bangsamoro parliamentary election on the second Monday of September 2026. While the measure has yet to pass the Senate and therefore remains far from becoming law, the hearing itself deserves public attention. It confronts a long-delayed democratic exercise and raises fundamental questions about governance, legality, and political stability in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).
BARMM is not an ordinary local government unit. It is a peace-created autonomous region with a parliamentary system distinct from the presidential structure that governs the rest of the country. Since its establishment, the region has been administered by an interim Bangsamoro Transition Authority. That arrangement was always meant to be temporary. The first regular parliamentary election is essential because it transfers power from appointed officials to representatives chosen directly by the Bangsamoro people.
Delays to that election were not the result of inaction alone. The Supreme Court’s invalidation of laws establishing parliamentary districts created a legal vacuum. Without valid districts, the Commission on Elections could not prepare ballots, assign candidates, or conduct credible polls. Comelec itself acknowledged that it lacked both the legal basis and logistical capacity to proceed under the earlier timeline. The House proposal therefore serves as a reset—an attempt to restore order after a chain of institutional setbacks.
Beyond the election date, the most contentious issue discussed in the hearing concerns the length of the parliamentary term. The Bangsamoro Organic Law clearly provides that Members of Parliament serve three-year terms. If elections are held in September 2026 but then re-synchronized with national elections in May 2028, the first elected parliament would serve for barely 19 to 20 months. That shortened mandate raises serious legal and democratic concerns.
Elected terms are not mere technicalities. They are commitments to voters. Truncating a term undermines the mandate given by the electorate and exposes the process to constitutional challenges. It also risks repeating the cycle of uncertainty that has already delayed BARMM’s political normalization.
To address this, the House proposal leans toward desynchronizing BARMM parliamentary elections from national and local elections. Under this approach, elections would occur every three years—2026, 2029, 2032—preserving the full term guaranteed by law. Such a setup recognizes BARMM’s unique parliamentary system and allows voters to focus on regional issues rather than being overshadowed by national campaigns.
Desynchronization offers clear advantages. It protects the three-year term, strengthens institutional stability, and reduces the risk of legal disputes. It also gives Comelec a more predictable timeline, which is critical in a region where elections are closely tied to peace and security. However, this option is not without trade-offs. Separate elections may increase costs and could affect voter turnout. Advocates of synchronization also argue that a unified national election calendar promotes administrative efficiency.
The House hearing laid out several possible paths forward. One is full desynchronization to protect the parliamentary term. Another is eventual re-synchronization, though this would require a clear and lawful transition to avoid shortening mandates. A third option is a carefully crafted hybrid arrangement, explicitly defined in law, to balance constitutional guarantees with practical considerations.
At this stage, the Senate’s role is decisive. No proposal can take effect without its concurrence. That reality underscores why public discussion now is appropriate and necessary. This is not about preempting Senate deliberations but about informing citizens of what is at stake.
In the end, the issue is not merely about dates on a calendar. It is about trust in democratic promises, respect for the law, and the stability of a region born out of peace negotiations. As the Senate takes up the measure, it should be guided by clarity, legality, and foresight. A clear statutory framework that preserves full parliamentary terms and provides predictable elections is not just good governance—it is essential to ensuring that BARMM’s first true exercise of self-rule strengthens autonomy rather than revives uncertainty.
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