QUEZON CITY — “It is better to act right instead of fast-tracking it and result to issues.”
This, according to Presidential Peace Adviser, Sec. Carlito G. Galvez, Jr. who quoted President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. on Monday, November 25, during the hearing called for by the House Committee on Suffrage and Electoral Reforms on the proposal to reset the first Bangsamoro Parliamentary elections from May 2025 to May 2026.
In his opening statement at the hearing, Galvez reaffirmed the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace, Reconciliation and Unity’s (OPAPRU) full support to House Bill (HB) 11034 authored by House Speaker Rep. Martin G. Romualdez, seeking to move the 2025 Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) elections to 2026.
More time to fulfill commitments
“By resetting the elections to 2026, we shall be providing both the National and Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) governments more time to focus their efforts in fulfilling the commitments they have made under all signed Bangsamoro Peace Agreements,” he noted.
Galvez emphasized that the OPAPRU respects the decision of the Supreme Court as “it favored the constitutionality of the Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL),” which paved the way for the creation of the BARMM and its regional government.
He, however, pointed out that there are “negative and unintended consequences of such a decision which greatly affected the Bangsamoro and its constituents and valid reasons for the resetting of the election.”
Galvez is concerned that the more than 5,000 workers from Sulu who have played a key role in the growth and development of the province and the Bangsamoro Region could lose their jobs with the High Court’s decision to exclude Sulu from the BARMM.
“We must protect their livelihoods and ensure that they will have the capacity to provide for the needs of their families,” he stressed.
Galvez also noted that billions of funds have already been allocated by the Bangsamoro government for the implementation of vital projects and programs in Sulu that aim to uplift the lives of the people.
“The government needs to ensure that there are substantive funds, particularly this fiscal year 2024-2025 and beyond to carry-out socio-economic and high-impact programs in Sulu,” he said.
Complex legal issues
According to Galvez, the Bangsamoro Parliament also does not have time to amend its Electoral Code in case the BARMM election will be held in 2025, and therefore, be able comply with the provisions of the BOL specifically on the 80 members of the parliament.
He shared that members of the Bangsamoro Transition Authority Parliament have expressed their support for an electoral reset due to the complex legal and administrative issues that have arised with the supreme court’s ruling.
“They have also underscored the importance of additional time in order for them to ensure a fair and transparent election process,” Galvez said, as the BARMM has filed a motion for reconsideration on the said decision.
“It is prudent to wait for the finality of the Supreme court’s decision,” he underscored.
Galvez likewise cited the need to “factor in the creation of a province for the recently established municipalities of the Special Geographical Areas (SGA),” which are now part of the Bangsamoro region.
“This move would allow these new communities a greater level of autonomy and facilitate their integration into the BARMM structure,” he said.
Peace and security challenges
The peace adviser also pointed out that the BARMM still faces peace and security challenges, with the proliferation of loose firearms and the presence of private armed groups that pose a major threat to the region’s peace and stability.
This is the reason, Galvez said, why the OPAPRU is pushing for the completion of the decommissioning process for Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) combatants, a key component of the Normalization Program.
The peace agency, he added, is also ensuring the effective implementation of its Small Arms and Light Weapons (SALW) Program, as well as the Disbandment of Private Armed Groups (DPAGs) in partnership with the security sector and local government units.
“We are pleased to note that we have made significant progress in this regard. By moving the elections to 2026, these programs will be able to further deepen their impact and create a safer and more security environment for all citizens of BARMM,” Galvez said.
Galvez also highlighted the need for the BTA to recalibrate its existing codes in light of the SC ruling, as well as pass the remaining codes and other key legislation.
“The BTA may need some space and time to recalibrate the major codes of the Bangsamoro region, especially the electoral code and local government code,” he said, adding, “The parliament has yet to pass two remaining codes, which are revenue, and indigenous peoples’ rights.”
These codes, Galvez said, are necessary in laying the foundations of the regional Bangsamoro autonomous government before its first election and completing its transition phase.
“The Bangsamoro peace process is now being viewed as a model by other nations across the globe on how they can peacefully resolve armed conflict, and consequently, bring lasting peace to their people,” he declared.
Groundswell of support
Meanwhile, there is also a growing groundswell of support from LGUs in the Bangsamoro who believe that resetting the BARMM elections will allow the regional government to complete the transition process and bring greater peace, development and stability to the area.
In solidarity with three other BARMM governors, Basilan Governor Hadjiman Hataman Salliman, expressed his strong support to the resetting of the elections through Senate Bill 2862 and House Bill 11034.
“This step is essential to uphold a fair, transparent, and truly democratic electoral process that reflects the will and aspirations of the people of BARMM,” Salliman said in a statement.
He also cited the Supreme Court ruling that “added complexity to the preparations which created a legal vacuum concerning the region’s parliamentary seats, as the ruling resulted to amending the districting law.”
Tawi-Tawi Gov. Ysmael “Mang” Sali noted that the exclusion of Sulu has raised not only serious legal questions but also “the question of equitable representation with the Bangsamoro.”
Maguindanao del Norte Governor Abdulraof Macacua, who was represented by Atty. Bantua Lukman, said during the hearing: “By delaying the election, we ensure our citizens fully understand their new roles as voters in the parliamentary system.”
“This postponement is necessary, and in the best interest of the region and its people,” Lukman added.
Lanao del Sur Governor Mamintal Adiong, Jr. who was present at the House committee hearing, highlighted the impact of the removal of Sulu from the BARMM, as he stressed the province’s significance to the Bangsamoro homeland.
Adiong urged the national government “to make radical changes in the Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA) so as to introduce a more balanced and inclusive membership in the organization.”
‘Legal and political gaps’
According to Lanao del Sur First District Congressman Zia Alonto Adiong, “Recent developments have complicated the journey towards the full operational BARMM parliament,” with the Supreme Court upholding the constitutionality of the Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL).
The congressman, who is a member of the House Committee on Suffrage and Electoral Reforms, however, pointed out that the same decision made by the HIgh Court excluded the province of Sulu from the BARMM, thus, “creating a significant legal and political gap in parliamentary representation.”
“With all these challenges in mind, the BTA has passed resolution 641, appealing to this Congress for an extension of the transition period from 2025 to 2028,” Adiong said.
House 11034, he explained, responds to that request by “allowing the BTA time needed to resolve legal issues, to encourage greater political participation, and to ensure that the people of the BARMM have a clear understanding of new electoral processes.”
Representation issues
Meanwhile, COMELEC Chairman George Garcia emphasized the need to resolve the issue of representation regarding the 80 parliamentary seats in the BARMM.
Garcia pointed out that with the exclusion of Sulu from the BARMM, seven seats in the parliament have been left vacant.
“It would be shaky to proceed with the 73 seats because it is in violation of the Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL),” he said.
Garcia also expressed concern on the issue of sectoral representation, as “There are no guidelines for the assembly. There is also no classification.”
But he gave the assurance that the COMELEC “will abide and follow with the discretion of the Congress on this matter.”###