Moving the peace mountains

The House of Representatives approved this week on second reading House Bill (HB) 11144, or the proposed postponement of next year's first regular election for the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) Parliament.

- MARICHU A. VILLANUEVA

Originally scheduled to be held along with the national and local elections on May 9 next year, the House-approved measure resets it to May 2026.

A check with Senate President Francis "Chiz" Escudero showed its counterpart Senate bill, however, is still languishing at the Senate committee on local government chaired by Senator JV Ejercito. Since it is a local bill, the rules of the Senate require such proposed legislation must emanate from the Lower House.

As this developed, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) came out last Wednesday with the campaign rules and regulations for the May 2025 midterm elections, along with the Bangsamoro Parliamentary polls.

That is, if the election of the BARMM Parliament won't be postponed by the 19th Congress with yet another law.

The proposed resetting of the BARMM Parliament election enjoys fairly wide support among the lawmakers. So more likely than not, both chambers of Congress will fasttrack its approval before the Comelec's official campaign period starts in February next year. Congress adjourns for their Christmas recess next week. Sessions resume on Jan.13 next year.

If not postponed, this could have been the first ever elected BARMM Parliament committed by the Philippine government. In its separate peace agreements signed one after the other by administrations past, the creation of the BARMM Parliament was forged with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).

It was an add-on feature to the earlier peace pact inked with the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF).

This came after the Supreme Court (SC) handed down its decision in September this year upholding the petition of Sulu provincial government to be carved out of the BARMM. It became final and executory last Nov. 26.