Bangsamoro Spokesperson and Cabinet Secretary Mohd Asnin Pendatun addresses questions from the media during his Usapang Bangsamoro press conference on Sept. 10, 2024 in Cotabato City. (Marhom Ibrahim/BIO)
COTABATO CITY—The 2025 Bangsamoro parliamentary elections will proceed as planned unless Congress passes a law to postpone them, Bangsamoro Spokesperson and Cabinet Secretary Mohd Asnin Pendatun confirmed in a press briefing on Tuesday.
Pendatun’s clarification comes in the wake of the recent Supreme Court (SC) ruling that excludes the Province of Sulu from the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region.
“The election, as we speak now, is as is. It will only be extended or postponed if Congress passes a law. In its absence, we are working on the framework that the first parliamentary poll will continue in 2025,” Pendatun, who is also the Cabinet Secretary of the Bangsamoro Government, said.
On Sept. 9, the high court ruled that the Sulu province be severed from the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) as a result of the province’s 54% negative votes, equivalent to its non-inclusion in the region, during the 2019 plebiscite.
“The Supreme Court declared the province of Sulu as not part of the BARMM after the province rejected the Bangsamoro Organic Law’s (BOL) ratification,” said SC Spokesperson Atty. Camille Sue Mae Ting.
As stipulated under Section 18 Article X of the 1987 Constitution, only provinces, cities, and geographic areas voting favorably in a plebiscite, creating an autonomous region, shall be included in such region.
The SC further declared that an autonomous government is not prohibited from prescribing a parliamentary form of government as long as it upholds democratic principles.
On the other hand, Pendatun reassured that the Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA) Parliament, the regional legislative body of the interim government, will explore further legal measures and recourses on the SC’s decision, affecting the seven parliamentary districts in Sulu.
BTA Parliament
The Spokesperson also addressed questions regarding the status of the current Members of Parliament (MPs) from Sulu, following the SC’s decision to exclude the province from the region.
“President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., the appointing authority of the BTA Parliament, is the only one who can decide as to the status of the MPs. So far, there is no document relating to their status,” he mentioned.
Halalang Bangsamoro campaign
Spokesperson Pendatun stressed that the activities for the May 2025 polls will continue, saying, “All of our preparations since the beginning are gearing towards that.”
Today, the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) has rescheduled the filing of certificates of candidacy (COC) for the BARMM Parliamentary elections to Nov. 4-9, 2024, following the Supreme Court ruling that Sulu is not part of BARMM.
However, COMELEC Chair George Garcia clarified that COC filing for local offices in the Bangsamoro region will proceed as planned on Oct. 1-8, 2024.
Garcia stressed Parliamentary elections in BARMM will still take place next year.
The Bangsamoro Government, through its Bangsamoro Information Office (BIO), spearheads the ongoing Halalang Bangsamoro campaign in disseminating information about the Bangsamoro Electoral Code (BEC), the governing law for the upcoming polls next year.
This campaign is in partnership with the COMELEC and various civil society organizations (CSOs) to prioritize voter education and awareness and ensure a well-informed electorate for the 2025 parliamentary elections. (Johamin Inok/BIO)
