THE Commission on Elections (Comelec) on Thursday, October 31, 2025, said it continues to wait for the Bangsamoro Parliament to pass a new law that will pave the way for the conduct of the Bangsamoro Parliamentary Elections (BPE).
In an interview, Comelec Chairman George Garcia said they are still waiting for the new districting law in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (Barmm), which the Bangsamoro Parliament was expected to pass by October 30.
“Currently, the Comelec is still waiting for the law that the Parliament will pass regarding the districting in the Bangsamoro,” Garcia said.
“As of yesterday (Wednesday), the bill was still on second reading,” he added.
The poll chief reiterated that the Comelec is prepared to hold the BPE.
“We will follow the timetable set by the Supreme Court, which stated that the elections should be held before March 31, 2026,” Garcia said.
The Supreme Court (SC) earlier ruled both Bangsamoro Autonomy Act 58 and 77 unconstitutional.
In turn, the SC directed the Bangsamoro Transition Authority to craft a new districting law by October 30, 2025.
The decision, thus, resulted in the BPE being moved by the Supreme Court to no later than March 31, 2026. (Anton Banal/SunStar Philippines)