THE Commission on Elections (Comelec) said the newly registered voters in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (Barmm) will be allowed to vote in the forthcoming September 2026 Bangsamoro Parliamentary Elections (BPE).
In its Resolution 11213, the Commission en banc said the BPE will no longer be limited to the registered voters listed during the May 2025 national and local polls.
"All qualified voters registered in the permanent list in a precinct of the city or municipality within the BARMM based on the latest Election Registration Board hearing shall be entitled to vote in the first BPE," said the Comelec.
Back in the May 2025 polls, there were a total of 2,378,828 registered voters in Barmm.
In the recently concluded voter registration in the Bangsamoro, a total of 161,429 applications were filed between February 9 to March 31.
On the other hand, the Commission said candidates and political parties that have already filed their certificates of candidacy (COCs) and certificates of acceptance of nomination (CANs), respectively, to refile them for the forthcoming BPE.
The Comelec ordered the refiling of COCs and CANs and List of Nominees by candidates and political parties despite previously doing so in November 2024.
"Those certificates of candidacy for parliamentary district representatives, and Lists of Nominees and certificates of acceptance of nomination with affidavits of non-affinity of political parties or coalitions thereof, which were previously filed from 04 to 09 November 2024, need to be refiled within the new period prescribed by the Commission," said the Comelec.
Back in November 2024, there were 109 aspirants for parliamentary district representatives, who filed their COCs, while eight regional parliamentary political parties (RPPPs) filed their CANs and List of Nominees.
In a September 2026 BPE, set to be elected are 40 party representatives, 32 districts representatives, and 8 sectoral representatives. (Anton Banal/SunStar Philippines)