Jonathan Frederic De Santos

The Bangsamoro government center in Cotabato City is lit up in green on January 22, 2022 to mark the region's third anniversary. BARMM Cabinet Secretary Mohammad Asnin Pendatun, handout, file.

Article (news)

Victoria Tulad

ABS-CBN News

<p>MANILA — The Senate on Wednesday passed on second reading Senate Bill 1823, which seeks to reset the first regular elections in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), polls that have been postponed since 2022.</p><p>The bill proposes to hold the elections on the second Monday of September 2026 or September 14, and every three years thereafter.</p><p>The elections has already been postponed four times.</p><p>It was supposed to be held on March 30 but was postponed after the Commission on Elections said it lacks time to prepare.</p><p>In a Senate hearing on February 5, Comelec Chairman George Erwin Garcia and the BARMM Parliament said they are amenable to holding the first Bangsamoro Parliamentary Elections in September. </p><p>The bill still needs to be passed on third and final reading.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/regions/2026/2/23/senators-flag-concerns-over-bill-resetting-bangsamoro-election-schedule-1917">Senators flag concerns over bill resetting Bangsamoro election schedule</a></div><div><br/></div><div><strong>GROUPS WARN POLL POSTPONEMENT COULD WORSEN POLITICAL CRISIS</strong></div><p>In a related statement on Wednesday, civil society organizations Climate Conflict Action and the Institute for Autonomy and Governance warned of a looming crisis in the autonomous region.</p><p>They said another postponement of the polls is among the factors that have put BARMM &quot;on the brink of collapse&quot;.</p><p>They warned that &quot;rather than fostering a legitimate and democratic mandate, a new impasse in the political transition is being engineered by those who wish to continue to reign without the right to rule.&quot;</p><p>The BARMM was to be led by representatives of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front as a transitional authority until elections could be held, but the CCAA and IAG said postponed polls have prolonged their stay in power.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/regions/2026/2/10/first-barmm-parliamentary-elections-eyed-on-september-14-2028">First BARMM parliamentary elections eyed on September 14<br/></a></div><p>Changes that the national government made to the Bangsamoro Parliament have since &quot;shredded what remained of the legitimacy possessed by an unelected government,&quot; they said.</p><p>Apart from the elections, the two groups said delays in the normalization and decommissioning process — meant to bring MILF camps and fighters into mainstream society and to decrease the number ow weapons in the region — threaten progress made since the 2014 peace agreement between the government and the MILF.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/regions/2026/1/21/marcos-jr-assures-national-support-for-bangsamoro-government-on-barmm-s-7th-anniversary-1734">Marcos Jr. assures national support for Bangsamoro government on BARMM’s 7th anniversary</a></div>

<p>The bill proposes to hold the elections on the second Monday of September 2026 or September 14, and every three years thereafter.</p>

The bill proposes to hold the elections on the second Monday of September 2026 or September 14, and every three years thereafter.

Bill resetting BARMM polls moves forward at the Senate

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Bill resetting BARMM polls moves forward at the Senate

Victoria Tulad,

ABS-CBN News

Published February 25, 2026 06:49 PM PHT

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Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao

Senate

Bangsamoro Parliament

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