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Sunday, February 9, 2025

Senate OKs bill to move BARMM polls

Senators on Monday approved on third and final reading a bill that moves the first-ever elections for the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) from May 12, 2025, to October 13, 2025.

Senate Bill 2942 passed with 18 votes in favor, one against, and no abstentions.

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The Senate bill stipulates that future BARMM elections, following the proposed October 2025 vote, will be held every three years, synchronized with the national elections starting in 2028.

Elected officials in the first BARMM elections will begin their terms at noon on October 30, 2025.

During the transition period extension, officials of the Bangsamoro Transition Authority will continue in their roles until their successors are elected. However, interim members can be replaced by the President or have their term shortened if elected to another position.

Candidates who previously filed their certificates of candidacy (COC) for the parliamentary districts or submitted nominations for party representatives for the original May 2025 elections will automatically be considered as candidates for the October 2025 polls.

New COC filings and nominations will not be accepted, and no substitutions will be allowed except in cases of death or disqualification.

SB 2942 also empowers the Commission on Elections to issue guidelines on candidacy filings if the seats originally designated for Sulu province are re-apportioned by the Bangsamoro parliament.

The Senate version of the bill differs from the House’s proposal, which aims to postpone the elections until May 2026. If the two versions remain in conflict, a bicameral conference committee will be formed to resolve the differences, or one chamber may adopt the other’s version before sending it to Malacañang.

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