Senate hopes for House to adopt 5-month deferral of BARMM polls

By Wilnard Bacelonia, Philippine News Agency

The BARMM administration building in Cotabato City. (File photo by Allan Jay Quesada – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0)

MANILA – Senators are hopeful that the House of Representatives will adopt the Senate version of the bill postponing the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) elections, which reflects the preferred timeline of the Executive Branch, Senator Francis Escudero said Thursday.

“I don’t know, but I would hope so given that we carried the preferred period of the Executive Branch, which, in turn, was the product of much debate and discussion principally among our security and election officials,” Escudero said in a Viber message to reporters.

Senate Deputy Majority Leader Joseph Victor “JV” Ejercito, who sponsored the bill, emphasized the importance of coordination between the Senate and Malacañang on the matter.

“Well, nasa kanila na po ‘yun (it’s up to them), but as far as we are concerned, we consulted. Of course, there has to be coordination between the Senate and Malacañang,” Ejercito said during the regular Kapihan sa Senado.

Ejercito said the discussions centered on a five- to six-month postponement, but senators eventually settled on five months.

The version that was approved by the House seeks to defer the BARMM polls for a period of one year.

Lawmakers aim to finalize the measure before Congress goes on recess on Feb. 7

Ejercito outlined the timeline, noting that the bill is set for final approval in the Senate on Monday, followed by a one-day bicameral conference on Tuesday.

“Hopefully, bago mag-break sana ma-ratify na po ito (before the break, it will be ratified),” he said.

The bill seeks to postpone the BARMM elections, originally scheduled for May 12, 2025, in response to concerns raised by security and election officials.