Camille Naredo

Residents in Sultan Kudarat look for their names from the Commission on Elections (Comelec) list of voters for the Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL) plebiscite at the Simuay Junction Crossing Elementary School,  January 21, 2019. Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News/File

Residents in Sultan Kudarat look for their names from the Commission on Elections (Comelec) list of voters for the Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL) plebiscite at the Simuay Junction Crossing Elementary School,  January 21, 2019. Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News

Article (news)

Bangsamoro Organic Law

Victoria Tulad

ABS-CBN News

<div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/177072587717420190121-cotabato-plebiscite-JC-7283 (1).jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" alt="Residents in Sultan Kudarat look for their names from the Commission on Elections (Comelec) list of voters for the Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL) plebiscite at the Simuay Junction Crossing Elementary School, January 21, 2019. Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News/File" width="960"/>Residents in Sultan Kudarat look for their names from the Commission on Elections (Comelec) list of voters for the Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL) plebiscite at the Simuay Junction Crossing Elementary School,  January 21, 2019. Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News/File</div>MANILA -- Senate Majority Floor Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri is pushing to hold the first Bangsamoro Parliamentary Elections on September 14.  Zubiri is the author of Senate Bill 1823 or an Act resetting the first regular elections in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao. He pointed out that the BARMM elections have already been postponed four times after the March 30, 2026 polls were deferred.&quot;It has been seven years since the passage of the Bangsamoro Organic Law, but our people have yet to exercise their right to vote for Members of the Bangsamoro Parliament,&quot; Zubiri said in his sponsorship speech of the committee report during Tuesday&#x27;s session.&quot;We will finally set the date of the election on the second Monday of September 2026, and we will ensure that this pushes through without further delay,&quot; he added.Zubiri lamented that four postponements had already been made. <div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/2/5/after-4-postponements-comelec-open-to-holding-first-barmm-parliamentary-elections-in-september-1708">READ: After 4 postponements, Comelec open to holding first BARMM parliamentary elections in September</a></div>&quot;This is already the fourth postponement, and it has to be the final one. We cannot delay our people&#x27;s right to vote any longer. To do so would be to undo our hard-earned gains of peace and progress in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao,&quot; he said. &quot;My fear is that the escalating violence in the region is at least partly tied to the repeated postponement of the election,&quot; Zubiri added.The Commission on Elections (COMELEC), during the hearing of the Senate Subcommittee on Resetting the First Regular Elections in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao last February 5, said it is amenable to holding the BARMM elections in September. Zubiri noted that BARMM stakeholders and the House of Representatives also believe September is the &quot;best, earliest, and most practicable&quot; date for the election. <div> </div><div>THREE-YEAR TERM</div>Zubiri said the bill is also pushing for the amendment of the Bangsamoro Organic Law. &quot;We are also amending the Bangsamoro Organic Law to mandate that the parliamentary election be held every three years after this September. This is in keeping with our provision in the Bangsamoro Organic Law that sets a term of three years for elected Members of Parliament. Dapat po kasi, three years po yan,&quot; Zubiri stated. He said the BARMM elections will not be synchronized with the national elections to ensure that members of parliament will serve their three-year term. Senate Deputy Majority Leader JV Ejercito co-sponsored the bill. &quot;We would like to assure our brothers and sisters in the BARMM Region that this august body remains your partner. Our goal is not merely to hold an election, but to hold one that is credible, peaceful, and truly representative of the Bangsamoro people&#x27;s aspirations,&quot; Ejercito said in his co-sponsorship speech. Senators Robinhood Padilla, Joel Villanueva, Loren Legarda, and Bong Go also supported the measure.

Senate Majority Floor Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri is pushing to hold the first Bangsamoro Parliamentary Elections on September 14.

Senate Majority Floor Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri is pushing to hold the first Bangsamoro Parliamentary Elections on September 14.

First BARMM parliamentary elections eyed on September 14

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First BARMM parliamentary elections eyed on September 14

Victoria Tulad,

ABS-CBN News

Published February 10, 2026 08:28 PM PHT

Read More:

BARMM parliamentary elections

Juan Miguel Zubiri

Philippine Senate

Comelec

Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao

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