BARMM polls reset buys time for Sulu exclusion

THE resetting of the first parliamentary elections in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) is a welcome development that would allow its government sufficient time to address pressing legal concerns about Sulu's exclusion, the Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation and Unity (Opapru) said Saturday.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has signed into law Republic Act (RA) 12123, which reschedules the BARMM polls from May 12 to Oct. 13 this year.

"The passage of RA 12123 is a testament [to] the Marcos Jr. administration's unwavering determination to fulfill the commitments made by the national government under all signed peace agreements and bringing sustainable development and long-lasting peace to our Bangsamoro brothers and sisters," Opapru Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr. said in a statement.

Galvez welcomed the law's provision allowing the current BARMM government to continue to disburse Sulu's share of the region's Block Grant earmarked for 2025.

This, he said, would allow the province to implement programs in accordance with the rules and guidelines of the Department of Budget and Management.

The Supreme Court in September ruled to exclude Sulu province from the BARMM, citing the province's rejection of the Bangsamoro Organic Law during the 2019 plebiscite.

"The Opapru, together with its peace partners, join the Bangsamoro people as we gear up for the upcoming BARMM parliamentary election, which is another major milestone in the Bangsamoro peace process," Galvez said.

"With the resetting of the BARMM elections, the national and Bangsamoro governments can now focus on the main task on hand, and that is, to ensure the peaceful, credible and orderly conduct of this landmark political exercise for the Bangsamoro people."

The exclusion of Sulu from the BARMM, an unresolved petition questioning the constitutionality of the Bangsamoro electoral code of 2023, and a request from the Commission on Elections for additional time to prepare for the polls were among the reasons for postponing the elections.