THE Commission on Elections (Comelec) expressed concerns on Tuesday, November 4, 2025, over the continued failure of the Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA) to pass a new parliamentary districting law, which is a prerequisite in the conduct of the Bangsamoro Parliamentary Elections (BPE).
In an interview, Comelec Chairman George Garcia said they are now worried that the BTA has yet to pass a new parliamentary districting law despite the Supreme Court (SC) directive to do so by October 30, 2025.
"Of course, we are worried about that... Because the election preparations might be put to naught again if the new law on Barmm is not passed," Garcia said.
"If we miss the timeline, we may not be able to adequately prepare for the elections in March," he added.
In such a scenario, the poll chief said the commission might be forced to tap the manual system of elections.
He said this is in order to ensure that the Comelec will be able to meet the timeline set by the Supreme Court in holding the BPE.
"As long as there is a law calling for an election, the Comelec will find a way, even to the extent of using the manual system of elections, if necessary," said Garcia.
"If the law is passed beyond November 30, then we will include in the discussions the use of manual elections. Again, that's in a worst case scenario," he added.
For the moment, however, the Comelec head said they remain confident that they will be able to hold the BPE.
Add to this, he said, is the fact that their preparations remain geared towards the use of an automated election system.
"There is a way wherein the Comelec can find ways just to be able to proceed with an election," he said.
"At this point, the elections in the Bangsamoro will be automated," added Garcia.
He said this is because they continue to believe that the BTA will be able to pass a law before November ends.
He also said that the Comelec has also been constantly reminding the Bangsamoro officials regarding the urgency of the matter.
"We believe that due to pressure from the SC decision, the Bangsamoro parliament is aware that time is of the essence," said the official.
"We believe in the capabilities of the Bangsamoro Parliament, and the Comelec has been able to convey the message of urgency of the matter," added Garcia.
To recall, the SC previously directed the Bangsamoro Transition Authority to pass a new Barmm districting law by October 30, 2025.
The decision also directed the Comelec to, subsequently, proceed with the preparations and conduct the BPE not later than March 31, 2026. (Anton Banal/SunStar Philippines)