Politics

COMELEC Puts Its Foot Down: First-Ever Bangsamoro Parliament Election Must Happen This September, Not in 2027 or 2028

Tabloid PH Newsdesk

Feb 23, 2026 — 1 min read

Photo: Wikimedia Commons

The Commission on Elections is making it crystal clear: the first-ever Bangsamoro Parliament election must happen this year — specifically in September 2026 — and should absolutely NOT be pushed to 2027 or bundled with the 2028 national elections.

COMELEC Chairman George Erwin Garcia said during a forum in Iloilo City that combining the Bangsamoro polls with the 2028 presidential race would be a disaster. ‘We have to focus on electing the president and the vice president. The 2028 is crucial for us,’ Garcia stressed.

Both chambers of Congress have bills proposing a September 2026 date — Senate Bill 1823 by Sen. Juan Miguel Zubiri targets Sept. 14, while House Bill 7236 by Rep. Zia Alonto Adiong proposes Sept. 28. Under the plan, voters in BARMM will cast two ballots: one for a political party and one for a district representative.

Complications have emerged after the Bangsamoro Parliament passed new laws in January, including a districting bill creating 32 single-member parliamentary districts and amendments to the electoral code that removed the ‘None of the Above’ option. These changes mean longer ballots, updated party accreditations, and revised voter lists.

Despite the tight timeline, Garcia said COMELEC is ready. ‘At all costs, the BPE should not happen in 2027,’ he emphasized. It’s a historic moment for the BARMM region — after years of appointed transition governments, the people of Bangsamoro will finally get to choose their own leaders.

Source: The Manila Times

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