The Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) is moving forward with its first parliamentary elections amid the recent Supreme Court ruling that upheld the constitutionality of the Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL) but excluded Sulu from the region.
The Supreme Court’s decision reaffirms the legal foundation of BARMM’s autonomous government and parliamentary system, including the election of the Chief Minister. However, the court ruled that Sulu, which voted against joining BARMM in a 2019 plebiscite, should be excluded from the region.
“We are grateful for the Supreme Court’s affirmation of BARMM’s autonomous government and its parliamentary structure,” BARMM Cabinet Secretary and spokesperson Mohammad Asnin Pendatun said during a news forum in Quezon City.
“But we are deeply saddened and concerned by the ruling that excludes Sulu from BARMM,” he added.
BARMM will hold its first parliamentary elections in May 2025, but Sulu will not participate, as the Supreme Court ruled.
The plebiscite saw 54 percent of Sulu residents vote against joining the region, despite overwhelming support from the broader Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM). After five years of deliberation, the court sided with Sulu’s local results.
“This ruling has significant implications for BARMM,” Pendatun said.
However, he added that BARMM plans to file a motion for leave to intervene and a motion for partial reconsideration regarding SC’s recent ruling.
“We will file a motion for leave to intervene with a motion for partial reconsideration… So we have until Oct. 1 to find or to make use of that legal remedy,” Pendatun said.
Moreover, Pendatun underscored the region’s gearing up for the elections, citing that the upcoming polls would aid governance and reconciliation in BARMM: “Our goal is to conduct an honest, peaceful, and credible election with high voter turnout… This will be critical not just for the election itself but for fostering peace afterward.”
