WITH only 53 days before the October 13 Bangsamoro Parliamentary Elections (BPE), members of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (Barmm) parliament are scrambling to find a solution on how to handle the “None of the Above” (Nota) option in the official ballots.
In an online interview, Commission on Elections (Comelec) Chairman George Garcia said Thursday, August 21, 2025, that members of the Bangsamoro parliament have committed to finding a solution on how the Nota votes should be treated during the October 13 polls.
"Sinabi din ng parliament na gagawan nila ng lahat ng paraan at bigyan lang sila bago matapos ang September para magkaroon ng sagot sa issue ng none of the above," said Garcia.
(The parliament also said they will do everything and asked to be given until the end of September to come up with an answer to the issue of none of the above.)
Similarly, the poll chief said they also asked other BPE stakeholders to share their formal comments on the issue discussed on Wednesday.
"Aming napagkasunduan na hihingan namin sila ng formal comments bago kami maglabas ng official resolution paano i-treat si none of the above," said Garcia.
(We agreed that we will ask them for formal comments before we issue an official resolution on how to treat none of the above.)
The Bangsamoro Electoral Code states that there must be a "None of the Above" option in the official BPE ballots “as far as practicable.”
Article VII, Chapter 1, Section 14 provides: “As far as practicable, the official ballots for the BPE shall include, aside from the names of all candidates, each candidate’s photo/logo and a ‘None of the Above’ option.”
On Wednesday, the Comelec called for an emergency meeting with different stakeholders of the October 13 BPE to discuss the potential complications that could arise from the Nota option.
This comes as the Bangsamoro Electoral Code and its Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) do not provide clear guidance on the possible implications of “None of the Above” garnering majority votes on Election Day.
During the meeting, Garcia said stakeholders were caught by surprise that the Nota option is included in the Bangsamoro election law.
"Lahat nagulat sa ating siniwalat na problema. First time nila nalaman na may none of the above na naipasok sa election code," he recalled.
(Everyone was surprised when we revealed the problem. It was their first time learning that a none of the above option was included in the election code.)
"Kita sa mukha nila ang pagkagulat sa issue na yan. Hindi nila nakita ang magiging implication nito," added Garcia.
(You could see the surprise on their faces regarding the issue. They did not foresee its implications.) (Anton Banal/SunStar Philippines)