(UPDATE) THE Commission on Elections (Comelec) has completed printing the ballots for the Oct. 13 Bangsamoro parliamentary elections after briefly suspending the process to assess the impact of a last-minute redistricting law.
Comelec spokesman John Rex Laudiangco said over the weekend that the suspension was prompted by the Bangsamoro Transition Authority’s approval of a measure redrawing district boundaries and redistributing seven seats originally assigned to Sulu province.
Sulu, however, was excluded from the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) following a 2024 Supreme Court ruling. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. later placed the island province under the administrative jurisdiction of Region 9, or the Zamboanga Peninsula.
The printing resumed on Aug. 27 at the National Printing Office in Quezon City after the Comelec, meeting in executive session, ruled that implementing the new law at this stage would derail the election calendar.
“The elections on Oct. 13 will push through, but only 73 of the 80 parliamentary seats will be contested,” said Laudiangco, noting that the redistricting law would disqualify some candidates and require new ballot templates — changes that could not be accommodated without delaying the polls.
Laudiangco added that the amendments to the Bangsamoro Electoral Code could instead take effect in the 2028 elections.
Ballots for oct 13 BARMM polls completed – Comelec
The issue of Sulu’s seven parliamentary seats remains unresolved. Options include filling them through presidential appointment or special elections, but Laudiangco stressed that these will not affect the October vote.
Roughly 2.3 million voters are eligible to cast their ballots in what will be BARMM’s first regular parliamentary elections since its creation in 2019 under the 2014 Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro.
Ballots for oct 13 BARMM polls completed – Comelec, This news data comes from:http://ehf-amrs-vlk-rees.redcanaco.com
The polls will end the interim rule dominated by the Moro Islamic Liberation Front and are regarded as a milestone in consolidating peace in a region long scarred by armed conflict.
- Marcos, first lady visit Cambodia to boost ties
- Marcos signs law giving 99-year land lease to foreign investors
- President Marcos commits to boosting PH digital infrastructure
- Gasoline, diesel price hikes seen next week
- 2028 polls overseas voter registration opens in Dec
- Thailand set for vote on new PM after dissolution bid rejected
- Palace suspends govt work, classes in several areas due to bad weather
- 13 massage therapists robbed, 2 cry rape
- National Guard troops begin carrying weapons in US capital
- Public Works Chief Vince Dizon demands courtesy resignations to 'clean house'
