THE Commission on Elections (Comelec) plans to have pictures of candidates on the election ballots for the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) parliamentary polls.
Comelec chairman George Erwin Garcia said the poll body mulls on the idea even before poll watchdog Legal Network for Truthful Elections’ (Lente) suggested that the ballots should feature candidate photos and party logos.
“I would like to inform you that prior to the proposal by several groups, the Commission on Elections had already planned that the ballots for the Bangsamoro parliamentary elections will feature the photographs of the candidates, along with the logos of their respective political parties. Additionally, we will include the option for ‘none of the above’,” Garcia said in an interview.
Earlier, President Marcos signed Republic Act (RA) No. 12123, resetting the first regular elections in the BARMM to Oct. 13, 2025. The law, enacted on Feb. 19, states that future elections in the BARMM will be synchronized with national elections and will take place every three years thereafter, scheduling the next polls to 2028.
Candidates who have already filed their certificates of candidacy for parliamentary seats in the BARMM will automatically be considered for the October 2025 elections.
However, new candidacy filings and changes to nominees will not be allowed, except in cases of death or disqualification.
Garcia also said the poll body stopped the printing of ballots for the BARMM parliamentary polls following the approval of the bicameral conference committee to move the election to October 2025.