MORE than ₱1.2 billion in public funds have gone to waste following the Supreme Court’s decision to postpone the first-ever Bangsamoro parliamentary elections, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) revealed on Thursday, October 2, 2025.
The postponement, prompted by the High Court’s nullification of two key election laws, has derailed years of preparation and forced the poll body to reset its plans, delaying the Bangsamoro region’s political transition once again.
Comelec chairperson George Erwin Garcia said at least ₱500 million had already been spent on printing 2.3 million official ballots for the elections originally set on October 13, 2025. Additional expenses for equipment rentals, procurement of election materials, and logistics pushed total costs to more than ₱1 billion, much of which will no longer be usable.
“To my understanding, it will be ₱1 billion and above because that already includes the printing of ballots and equipment rentals. We may not have fully paid yet, but there are milestones, it’s possible that we’ve already procured some materials,” Garcia told reporters in Filipino.
He also confirmed that part of the deployment budget had already been released to suppliers. “As for the deployment, they wouldn’t deliver to the hubs without an initial payment, More or less, let’s admit that all of that will go to waste,” he said.
The Supreme Court on Wednesday struck down Bangsamoro Autonomy Acts (BAAs) 58 and 77, the districting laws necessary for the elections, declaring them unconstitutional.
BAA 77, or the Bangsamoro Parliamentary Act of 2025, had amended BAA 58 to redistribute seven parliamentary seats vacated after Sulu’s exclusion from the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).
With these laws invalidated, Comelec no longer had the legal framework to hold the elections. The Court ordered the poll body to conduct the parliamentary elections no later than March 31, 2026, and directed the Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA) to pass a new redistricting law by October 30, 2025.
"We will not file a motion for reconsideration. We will immediately comply with the directive of our Supreme Court,” Garcia said, adding that Comelec hopes to be consulted by the BTA in crafting the new districting plan to ensure technical considerations are met.
Following the ruling, Comelec will revise its election timetable. The filing of certificates of candidacy and reconfiguration of automated counting machines are now expected in January 2026, while ballot printing may resume by February 2026.
The BTA, meanwhile, said it will comply with the Court’s order and immediately begin drafting a new redistricting law.
"While we are saddened by the delay of this historic parliamentary election, this period grants us the opportunity to strengthen the integrity of our democratic process," the BTA said in a statement.
Brmm Chief Minister Abdulraof Macacua also assured the public that the regional government will continue providing services despite the legal setback.
“We will continue our services. As you know, we are appointed only by the president. Unless there is an election, that appointment will be taken over by the elected officials,” he said.
This is the second postponement of the Bangsamoro parliamentary elections. Initially scheduled for 2022, the polls were moved to 2025 under Republic Act No. 11593 to give the transitional government more time to build institutions and governance mechanisms.
With the Supreme Court’s latest decision, the timeline has again shifted, leaving the region’s first parliamentary elections without a clear framework. Until a new districting law is enacted, Comelec cannot proceed with voter registration, accept candidacies, or launch campaign activities.
Despite the financial losses and political uncertainty, officials remain hopeful that the extended timeline will lead to a more constitutionally sound and credible electoral process, one that upholds the democratic rights of the Bangsamoro people. DEF