Comelec to proceed with COC filings as Escudero seeks BARMM election delay

COTABATO CITY, Philippines – Elections Chairman George Garcia said Monday, November 4, that the Commission on Elections (Comelec) will continue accepting certificates of candidacy until November 9, despite Senate President Francis Escudero’s announcement that he would push to postpone the 2025 parliamentary elections in the Bangsamoro region.

Garcia, who arrived in Cotabato for the start of the filing period for regional parliament COCs, said only a legislative act could alter the Comelec’s schedule.

Garcia’s statement came in response to reports quoting Escudero, who said the Senate would discuss rescheduling the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao’s (BARMM) first parliamentary elections from 2025 to 2028, following a recent Supreme Court (SC) ruling excluding Sulu province from the predominantly Muslim region.

The Senate president’s announcement sparked speculation about a possible no-parliamentary-elections scenario in the BARMM next year.

Escudero said he would introduce a bill Monday to address the impact of the ruling, noting that Sulu was initially allocated seven representatives in the BARMM parliament. He added that the decision could affect party-list and sectoral representation in the regional legislative body.

BARMM’s interim parliament, the Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA), passed a resolution on October 22 to delay the region’s first regular parliamentary elections from 2025 to 2028.

BTA Resolution No. 641, authored by Member of Parliament Baintan Ampatuan, called on both chambers of Congress to consider rescheduling the first regional parliamentary elections simultaneously with the 2028 national and local elections, allowing time for a smoother transition in light of Sulu’s exclusion from the region. – Rappler.com