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Comelec asks Congress to decide on bill postponing BARMM polls

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Victoria Tulad

ABS-CBN News

<p><span data-teams="true" id="isPasted"><span dir="ltr"></span></span>The Commission on Elections (Comelec) appealed to Congress on Thursday to decide the fate of Senate Bill 2862 or “An Act resetting the first regular elections in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao” (BARMM) by the second week of December. </p><p>The bill seeks to postpone the said polls from May 2025 to May 2026 after Sulu was excluded from BARMM through a Supreme Court decision. </p><p>According to Comelec Chairman George Garcia during the hearing of the Senate Committee on Local Government, they deferred to the wisdom of Congress to decide on the bill, but reminded of the timeline they are working on. </p><p>“Sana po ay may development kung matutuloy o hindi ang ating halalan sapagkat mag-iimprenta ang Comelec ng balota ng huling linggo ng Disyembre. So ibig sabihin po ifa-finalize namin ang list of candidates hopefully before December 13 of this year,” Garcia said. “Ang timeline lang po Talaga namin dito sa ganitong klaseng development ay more or less hanggang second week ng December,” Garcia said. </p><style type="text/css" id="isPasted">
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</style><style class="darkreader darkreader--sync" media="screen"></style><div><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/regions/2024/9/15/comelec-moves-coc-filing-in-barmm-to-november-after-sc-ruling-on-sulu-1008"><strong>Comelec moves COC filing in BARMM to November after SC ruling on Sulu</strong></a></div><p>He added that the poll body is ready whether the BARMM elections either pushes through or gets postponed, but hopes legal issues will be settled such as where the seven parliamentary district seats of Sulu will go to since it has been excluded.</p><p>According to the Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL), 80 seats are allocated to the parliament—40 for regional political parties, 32 for parliamentary districts, and eight for sectoral representatives.  </p><p>The reallocation of the seven seats falls within the mandate of the Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA), but it has not yet done so until now.</p><p>“Puwede bang mag-proceed ang COMELEC sa halalan gayong ang nakalagay sa batas ay 80? Kung magkakataon po ang masasagawa lang namin na halalan ay 73 lamang,“ Garcia said.</p><p> One thing to be considered, according to Garcia, is the pending Motion for Reconsideration before the Supreme Court on its decision on Sulu. </p><p>“Kung maghohold kami ng elections sa 73 tapos biglang nagsabi ngayon na otsenta pa rin, may problema po kami paano po kami babalik sa 80 kung 73. Ang dapat pong solusyon talaga diyan ay yung pito sana, ay ire-distribute ng mismong parliyamento doon sa mga natitirang probinsya pero hanggang ngayon po sa araw na ito ay wala po tayong redistricting o redsitribution ng pito. And therefore po, technically, technically po, mayroong disenfranchisement doon sa issue ng pito na representante sapagkat dapat ito ay mare-redistribute sa iba ibang probinsya,” Garcia explained. </p><p>BTA seputy spokesperson Omar Yasser Sema said their decision is to wait for the final ruling of the high court. </p><p>“Yes, We have the power to reallocate but I believe it will require a collective decision of the parliament considering also the implications of such action to our relationship with the people of Sulu. If we reallocate now, if we reapportion now, it imeans a surrender of a great portion of our struggle to the Supreme Court,” Sema said.   </p><style type="text/css" id="isPasted">
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</style><style class="darkreader darkreader--sync" media="screen"></style><div><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/2024/11/6/comelec-many-voter-applications-declined-in-makati-1636"><strong>Comelec: Many voter applications declined in Makati from &#x27;embo&#x27; barangays</strong></a></div><p>“We have no choice but to take it as it is right now but I believe our leaders in their patience and perseverance, we will have to go with them in waiting for a final decision,” he added. </p><p>Garcia said they understood the dilemma of the BTA. </p><p>“Kasi kung bigla naman po i-distribute nila yung pito, dahil nga 80 ang nakalagay sa batas eh, 80 dapat, i-distribute nila doon sa natitirang probinsya tapos, biglang sinabing, hindi, kasama na uli ang Sulu. Ay, di ba paano po nila babawiin yun?” Garcia stated. </p><p>“Regardless kung ano po yung magiging disposisyon ng ating katas-tasang hukuman doon sa mga motion for reconsideration na napakadami pong nai-file eh…siyempre po sa amin sa  COMELEC, meron pong nakalagay na mandato na this decision is immediately executory. And therefore, papatupad po namin yung desisyon na tanggal ang Sulu. ‘Yun po ang aming interpretasyon,” he added. </p><p>Another scenario if the BARMM elections pushes through with just 73 seats, according to Garcia, are groups questioning the integrity of the elections since the BOL provides for 80 seats. </p><div><strong>SENATE HEARING </strong></div><p>Senator JV EJercito, chair of the Senate Committee on Local Government, said the issue at hand is not an easy one. </p><p>“Ang hirap talaga. Ang kumplikado ito. Kailangan natin balansehin. We have to, we heard both sides as much as possible. Gusto naman natin matuloy na talaga yung election. But we have to also take into consideration the legal dilemma and issues that have been discussed today,” Ejercito said. </p><p>He said there is no instruction from the Palace on how to deal with the bill even if its author, Senate President Francis Escudero, said he filed it upon the request of Malacañang. </p><p>“Hopefully, wala na lumabas sa issue para mai-prepare na natin ang committee report for submission para it can be acted on or by the body,” Ejercito said. “So hopefully by end of November maipasa natin in line with the Comelec deadline.”</p>

<p>The Commission on Elections (Comelec) urged Congress on Thursday to decide the fate of Senate Bill 2862 or “An Act resetting the first regular elections in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao” (BARMM) by the second week of December.</p>

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) urged Congress on Thursday to decide the fate of Senate Bill 2862 or “An Act resetting the first regular elections in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao” (BARMM) by the second week of December.