CAGAYAN DE ORO, Philippines – The election watchdog Legal Network for Truthful Elections (LENTE) on Friday, January 23, delivered a pointed warning to Bangsamoro lawmakers: A bill tinkering with their region’s electoral code risks yet another postponement of the long-suffering parliamentary elections.

The proposed regional law, Parliament Bill No. 419, seeks to amend BARMM’s 2023 election code, and it was approved on Thursday, January 22, by the Bangsamoro Parliament’s committee on amendments, revision, and codification of laws. The nearly three-year-old code has never been tested in an election.

If approved by the region’s legislature, it would lower membership and vote thresholds for BARMM’s political parties to win seats, allowing smaller groups to gain representation. 

The proposal also includes provisions to safeguard women’s representation through a “zipper system,” which alternates male and female party nominees, and sets clearer rules for certifying and electing sectoral representatives.

Under the present setup, BARMM voters will elect regional parties to occupy seats in the BARMM Parliament. Another 32 seats are reserved for individual district representatives, who will be elected by voters in their respective districts. The remaining eight seats will be filled up by sectoral groups, whose representatives would be chosen by members of those sectors.

LENTE said the bill contains a provision allowing sectoral representatives from women, youth, and settler communities to be elected directly in the first BARMM elections.

But the watchdog expressed concern that without a verified voter list for these groups, holding elections immediately could disenfranchise voters. 

LENTE pointed out that such a measure, if approved, would require operational adjustments, including updates to ballots, election software, and personnel training, which could disrupt election preparations and potentially delay the regional polls further.

While emphasizing the importance of meaningful women’s participation, LENTE executive director Ona Caritos urged BARMM officials to follow Commission on Elections (Comelec) timelines and not hold direct sectoral elections until voter registration and verification systems are already in place.

LENTE said the Comelec has already made it clear “that if PB No. 419 is passed, it will surely affect preparations and might ultimately affect or delay yet again the BPE this year. If this bill were to affect the BPE conduct, we respectfully urge the Bangsamoro Parliament to think twice about its passage.“

“We fully support the provisions for lower membership and threshold. However, we maintain that there should be a gradual increase in these requirements in subsequent electoral cycles,” the group added. “The Bangsamoro people have waited long enough to exercise their right to choose their leaders.”

Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA) Member Sittie Fahanie Uy-Oyod, the committee’s chairperson, said the proposed amendments would still face full plenary deliberation.

The first BARMM elections have been postponed thrice since the seven-year-old region’s creation in 2019. They were initially set for May 2022 but moved to May 2025 due the COVID-19 pandemic and to allow finalization of the region’s electoral code. The date was later reset to October 2025 and then to March 2026 after the Supreme Court (SC) invalidated earlier districting laws. The BARMM approved a new districting law last January 13.

With Comelec running out of time to prepare for the elections earlier set for March, two congressmen from Lanao del Sur, Zia Alonto Adiong and Yasser Alonto Balindong, filed a proposed law on Wednesday, January 21, seeking to set the first regular Bangsamoro parliamentary elections on September 28. – Rappler.com