President Marcos has expressed openness to postponing the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) elections scheduled on May 12, 2025, saying the proposal is currently being studied.
The President’s statement came amid calls to put off the elections by at least one year, to allow stakeholders to resolve legal issues and better educate voters on the implications of greater autonomy.
”We are still studying it [postponement]. Some of the local officials are saying that because of the Supreme Court (SC) decision to separate Sulu from BARMM… this comes with implications regarding changes that must be made. So, it may not be feasible to hold it by May of next year,” Mr. Marcos told reporters in a mixture of Filipino and English.
The President pointed out that because Sulu is no longer part of the region, there is a need to work on the new Local Government Code, Administrative Code, and Electoral Code.
“We didn’t anticipate many of the unintended consequences of the Supreme Court decision. As much as possible, we want to hold it [on schedule]. However, if this isn’t feasible, then it would be better to postpone it [elections] to avoid confusion,” he added.
In September this year, the SC declared the Sulu province not part of the BARMM after it rejected the ratification of the Bangsamoro Organic Law.
Meanwhile, Senate President Francis Escudero recently filed a bill to postpone the first regular elections in the BARMM to May 11, 2026.
“This was filed upon the request of the Palace because of recent developments… some developments took place these past weeks and months. Among them is the Supreme Court decision that, up to now, is not yet final,” Escudero explained in Filipino.
Under the Bangsamoro Electoral Code, seven of the 80 parliament seats are allocated to Sulu.
The Commission on Elections earlier said 109 aspirants had filed their certificates of candidacy for the BARMM elections.
However, despite Malacañang’s ongoing review, the SC said parliamentary elections in the BARMM cannot be deferred.
“The SC ruling on BARMM shall take effect immediately. ‘Immediately executory’ means that the decision should be fully implemented despite the pending motion for reconsideration,” SC spokesperson Camille Sue Mae Ting recently said.
Editor’s Note: This is an updated article. Originally posted with the headline “Marcos studying calls to postpone BARMM elections.”
