THE Commission on Elections (Comelec) on Saturday, March 7, 2026, welcomed the decision of Malacañang to certify as urgent the bill setting a new date for the first-ever Bangsamoro Parliamentary Elections (BPE).
In a phone interview, Comelec Chairman George Garcia said they welcome the certification as it will help ensure that the measure setting the new BPE date on the second Monday of September 2026 will be passed on time.
"Time is running out. We need this law to be passed immediately," said Garcia.
He said this is because the Commission will need sufficient time to conduct their preparations for the regional polls in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (Barmm).
"There is still a need for an extensive information dissemination to our voters in the region," said Garcia.
On Monday, the Senate approved on third and final reading Senate Bill 1823, which fixes the first BPE to the second Monday of September 2026.
Proposing a similar date for the BPE, the House of Representatives passed on second reading House Bill 8220 just last Tuesday.
To note, the BPE bill is one of the priority measures identified by the Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council (Ledac). (Anton Banal/SunStar Philippines)