Senator Juan Miguel Zubiri has proposed resetting the long-delayed parliamentary elections in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao to March 30, 2026, amid unresolved legal and logistical issues.
The measure, filed as Senate Bill No. 1587, aims to amend the Bangsamoro Organic Law to formally move the elections and set the assumption of office of winning candidates at noon of April 30 following the vote.
Zubiri said the absence of an actual election more than six years after BARMM’s creation undermines the region’s promise of self-rule and denies Bangsamoro constituents their right to choose their leaders.
He stressed that the bill is meant to provide a clear statutory mandate for the conduct of the region’s first parliamentary polls, which have remained uncertain due to court rulings and redistricting disputes.
Under the proposal, future BARMM parliamentary elections would be aligned with the 2028 national and local elections and held regularly every three years.
The bill also directs the Commission on Elections, through the Bangsamoro Electoral Office, to oversee the conduct of the polls and issue implementing rules consistent with national election laws and the Bangsamoro framework.
Pending the election of new officials, the Bangsamoro Transition Authority would continue as the region’s interim government, in line with Supreme Court decisions that nullified the 2025 redistricting law and ordered a valid reapportionment before elections can proceed.
