Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo Lacson has proposed an amendment to address a potential constitutional issue in a bill setting the election schedule for the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).
To address the concern, Lacson said he would introduce an amendment allowing the extension of the terms of incumbent BARMM officials if the September 2026 elections proceed.
He proposed extending their terms until June 30, 2031 to realign future elections with the national and local polls.
Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri, the bill’s sponsor, expressed support for Lacson’s position and said he was open to synchronizing BARMM elections through the proposed amendment.
Lacson clarified he was not opposing Senate Bill 1823 but raised concerns over a possible conflict with the Constitution’s mandate for synchronized national and local elections.
“Let me clarify that I am not objecting to the measure under consideration. Rather, this is a manifestation of concern, particularly on a potential constitutional infirmity,” he said on Monday during his interpellation.
Senate Bill 1823 sets BARMM elections on the second Monday of September 2026 and every three years thereafter.
However, Lacson cited the 2011 Supreme Court ruling in Abas Kida vs. Senate of the Philippines, where the High Court upheld election synchronization as a constitutional principle.
In that decision, the High Court affirmed the validity of Republic Act 10153, which synchronized elections in the former Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao with national and local polls by moving them to the second Monday of May 2013 and every three years thereafter.
Lacson noted that Senate Bill 1823 seeks to amend Section 13, Article 16 of Republic Act No. 11054, the BARMM Organic Law, by fixing regional elections in September beginning 2026.
He raised the question of whether this would permanently set the polls outside the national election cycle.
