The Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) applauded President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s decision to certify a Senate bill postponing the region’s first parliamentary elections as urgent.
“We welcome the development,” BARMM spokesperson Mohd Asnin Pendatun said on Friday. “It’s a big deal that there is a certification of urgency. It signals that the BARMM election is a priority.”
The Presidential Communications Office said Marcos certified Senate Bill No. 2942, which would reschedule the election for October or later.
The bill, authored by Senator JV Ejercito, was approved on second reading on Tuesday.
The House of Representatives approved a similar bill, House Bill No. 11144, in December 2024.
Lanao del Sur Rep. Zia Alonto Adiong said the House is awaiting Senate approval for the postponement.
Pendatun said the extension would allow the reapportionment of parliamentary seats after the Supreme Court ruled that Sulu province is no longer part of the BARMM. (PNA)