AHEAD of the September 2026 Bangsamoro Parliamentary Elections (BPE), the Commission on Elections (Comelec) has set the order of listing of sectors to be adopted in the official ballots.
Based on Minute Resolution 26-0276, the Comelec said the sectors will be listed in the official ballots starting with Settler Communities, followed by Women, Youth, Ulama, and Traditional Leaders as recommended by the Bangsamoro Elections Special Task Force (BEST Force).
"It is pointed out that Bangsamoro Autonomy Act (BAA) No. 35 did not provide for the order in which the recognized sectors shall be arranged or listed in the official ballot," said the Comelec.
"A statutory sequence may be reasonably adopted as the basis for determining the order of sectors in the ballots. Thus, the BEST Force recommends that the sectors to appear on the ballot be arranged in the following order: settler communities, women, youth, Ulama, and traditional leaders," it added.
And on Election Day, the Commission said each voter will be voting for six sectoral representatives, excluding those of the Non-Moro Indigenous Peoples (NMIP).
"It is the recommendation of the BEST Force to allow each voter to cast one vote for every parliamentary sector representative seat," said the Comelec en banc.
"Except for the NMIP, other sectoral representatives shall be elected through direct plurality of votes," it furthered.
The poll body said adopting such an approach ensures broader democratic participation and strengthens sectoral representation.
"Moreover, this avoids any possible confusion or voter disenfranchisement," the Commission said.
During the BPE, six of the eight Parliamentary Sectoral Organizations (PSOs) seats will be elected on September 14 while the two seats for NMIP shall be chosen during an Inter-Tribal Convention. (Anton Banal/SunStar Philippines)
