COTABATO CITY, Philippines – The Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA) adopted a resolution on Tuesday, October 22, seeking to delay the region’s first regular parliamentary elections from 2025 to 2028.
BTA Resolution No. 641, authored by Member of Parliament (MP) Baintan Ampatuan, appealed to the Senate and House of Representatives to extend the timeframe for the first regular parliamentary elections in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).
According to Ampatuan, the extension would allow stakeholders in the region to prepare for a smooth democratic transition.
BTA Floor Leader and Committee on Rules Chairperson Sha Elijah Dumama-Alba, in a committee report, explained that the resolution would address legal issues following the Supreme Court’s ruling to exclude Sulu from the BARMM in September.
“This will pave the way for additional time to resolve current legal issues affecting the upcoming elections,” Dumama-Alba said during the parliament’s third regular session.
Dumama-Alba said an extension would promote wider participation from political parties, provide an extended period for voter education, and enhance voters’ understanding of the new electoral process.
“It is now up to Congress to consider and act upon this request from the Bangsamoro Parliament,” she said during the 79th session of the third regular session of the BTA.
Kapatagan, Lanao del Sur Mayor Raida Maglangit slammed the BTA’s move for an extension, calling it “desperate.”
”We are baffled by these desperate moves. Why not let the people decide in the 2025 BARMM election who they want to lead them,” the mayor said in a Facebook post.
Maglangit added that concerns have been raised about whether the move to extend is an attempt to influence or delay the electoral process.
“This call for transparency and respect for voters’ choices reflects a desire for a fair and democratic process where the Bangsamoro people can freely elect their leaders, giving us the chance to exercise our right of suffrage in the BARMM,” she said. – Rappler.com