THREE days before the first-ever Bangsamoro Parliamentary Elections (BPE), the Commission on Elections (Comelec) said the historic polls will mark a new chapter in the Bangsamoro region’s decades-long struggle for self-determination and peace.
Comelec Chairman George Garcia said the September 14, 2026, elections will carry forward the history of the Bangsamoro struggle by placing institutions created through the peace process in the hands of elected representatives.
“These elections stand on generations of Bangsamoro struggle for homeland, identity, and self-determination, in the face of dispossession, marginalization, conflict, and sacrifice,” Garcia said in a statement.
He said the struggle eventually found a political path through the peace process, which required the Bangsamoro and the national government to work toward meaningful self-government.
“The election before us carries that history forward: institutions borne of struggle, negotiation and transition will now pass into the hands of representatives entrusted with the people’s mandate through the ballot,” Garcia said.
Garcia said the Comelec was grateful for the opportunity to help advance the Bangsamoro’s aspirations for lasting peace.
“We hope that by conducting these elections with integrity and purpose, we can help strengthen the institutions that will carry the Bangsamoro into its next chapter,” he said.
He also called on voters, candidates and political parties to help ensure peaceful and credible elections.
“Let every voter cast their ballot freely and without fear, and may every candidate and political party conduct themselves with restraint, respect for the process, and a shared commitment to preserving the safety of all,” Garcia said.
The first BPE is set to be held across the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).
Each BARMM voter will elect one parliamentary district representative, one parliamentary political party and six parliamentary sectoral representatives—two for settler communities and one each for women, youth, ulama and traditional leaders. (Anton Banal/SunStar Philippines)
