AMID issues surrounding the passage of the law redistricting the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (Barmm), the Commission on Elections (Comelec) Friday, August 29, 2025, assured the public that the October 13 Bangsamoro Parliamentary Elections (BPE) will push through as scheduled.
Speaking at the sidelines of the BPE Stakeholders Briefing held at the Garden Orchid Hotel in Zamboanga City, Comelec Chairman George Garcia reiterated that the poll body is determined to conduct the first-ever parliamentary elections despite the confusion caused by the law passed by the Bangsamoro Parliament.
"If some feel there is a clash between the Comelec's position and the (Bangsamoro) Parliament, that will not result in chaos. Ultimately, the focus should be clear in Bangsamoro: will there be an election? The Comelec is now answering this: there will be an election on October 13," said Garcia.
"It should be clear to the Bangsamoro people whether there will be elections or not. There is a promise of an election. It must be fulfilled. That promise is the elections on October 13," he added.
The poll chief said this is one of the main reasons why they held the event, which was attended by different stakeholders, including political parties, poll watchdogs, candidates, Barmm government officials, and other civil society organizations.
"The most important message here is that there is a guarantee that there will be an election on October 13. There is no doubt about it because the highest-ranking Comelec officials are here and are saying 'don't worry, the Comelec will proceed with the elections'," said Garcia.
He said the Comelec can no longer implement provisions of Bangsamoro Autonomy Act (BAA) 77, as doing so risks violating the law setting the schedule of the BPE on October 13.
"If we follow the new law of the Parliament, we will not have elections on October 13. Based on our timeline, the most conservative date we can hold it is October 20. If that happens, we will violate the law that says our elections should be held on October 13," Garcia said.
On Friday, the Comelec gave BPE stakeholders updates on its preparations for the parliamentary polls.
Among the matters discussed were the status of BPE ballot printing, training of Electoral Board members, voters’ education drives, the schedule of deployment of poll paraphernalia, and other technical and operational preparations.
On Thursday, Barmm Chief Minister Abdulraof Macacua officially signed the Bangsamoro Parliamentary Redistricting Act of 2025, or BAA 77.
The Comelec, however, immediately said it can no longer adopt the changes that BAA 77 entails after it decided on Wednesday to resume its preparations for the BPE. (Anton Banal/SunStar Philippines)