Maguindanao Sur gov, 35 CSOs reject Bangsamoro poll postponement
GENERAL SANTOS CITY (MindaNews / 08 November) – Instead of postponing the historic Bangsamoro parliamentary election in May 2025, Congress must look into the decommissioning of combatants of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), Maguindanao del Sur Gov. Mariam Sangki-Mangudadatu said.
This developed as a group of civil society organizations in Mindanao also rejected proposals to cancel again the first regional elections in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).
During the public hearing of the Senate Committee on Local Government on Thursday, November 7, Mangudadatu expressed opposition to the proposal of Senate President Francis Escudero to cancel the first regional election from May 2025 to May 2026, which will effectively extend the transition period in the BARMM for one more year.
“Hindi po ang postponement ang dapat ninyong tutukan kundi ang bigong decommissioning at normalization ng MILF. Marami na pong nasawi kasama na po ang PNP, AFP, local officials at mga civilians na ang hangad ay kapayapaan lamang (You should not focus on the postponement but on the failed decommissioning and normalization involving the MILF. Many have died from the PNP, AFP, local officials and civilians who only aspire for peace),” she said.
On the other hand, Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr., head of the Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace Unity and Reconciliation (OPAPRU), supported the Senate measure resetting the Bangsamoro elections for one year.
“(The resetting will) give us ample time to address the concerns that come with Sulu’s exclusion from the BARMM and ensure the Bangsamoro government’s resilience and readiness to lead,” he told the Senate hearing.
Last September, the Supreme Court upheld the validity of Republic Act 11054 or the Organic Law for the BARMM but declared Sulu not part of the region after it rejected the law’s ratification.
Regarding the MILF decommissioning, Galvez said the OPAPRU is currently “in the middle of full-blown socio-economic interventions in the BARMM,” especially the normalization and transformation program for MILF combatants. He earlier denied allegations of corruption and malpractices in the decommissioning process.
Maguindanao del Norte Gov. Abdulraof Macacua, a senior member of the MILF central committee, also supported the postponement of the Bangsamoro election.
“I believe the postponement is necessary and in the best interest of the region and its people,” Macacua said.
Mangudadatu said the Bangsamoro people must be given the chance to exercise their rights to vote, noting that sufficient time has been allotted for the transition period in the BARMM.
The Bangsamoro region was established in 2019 with the MILF leading the 80-member Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA), the body tasked to govern the BARMM. The term of the BTA would have ended on June 30, 2022 after the first set of elected officials shall have taken their oath of office.
However, in October 2021, then President Rodrigo Duterte signed Republic Act 11593 postponing the regional polls in 2022 to 2025, effectively extending the term of the transition period for another three years.
Mangudadatu urged the Senate not to reset the scheduled Bangsamoro parliamentary election in May 2025, citing the various pronouncements issued by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. that there will be elections in the Bangsamoro region next year.
Her stance to proceed with next year’s Bangsamoro parliamentary election gained the support of a coalition of 35 civil society organizations in Mindanao.
The Coalition for Social Accountability and Transparency (CSAT) urged Congress to reject measures cancelling again the first regional polls BARMM, saying that the electorate must be allowed to exercise their rights to finally choose their leaders.
“The Bangsamoro people deserve the opportunity to exercise their constitutional right to vote and select their parliamentary representatives, a core principle of democracy,” CSAT said in a statement obtained today, Friday.
The group also pushed for the conduct of the parliamentary elections on May 12, 2025, citing the readiness of the regional political parties and the filing of candidacies for district representatives, which started on November 4 and will end tomorrow, November 9.
CSAT also pointed out that Marcos repeatedly assured, especially during his State of the Nation Address last July, that the first regional elections in the BARMM will happen in May 2025 “as this symbolizes a milestone in the peace process.”
The conduct of democratic elections in the BARMM reinforces the peace gains achieved through years of negotiations and peacebuilding efforts, it said, adding that a smooth and credible election process will reflect the region’s political maturity and commitment to a peaceful transition of power, which are essential for long-term stability.
CSAT also noted that the regional election will make its leaders accountable to their constituencies rather than to any appointing authority, hence strengthening the democratic foundation of governance in the BARMM.
The original 80 members of the BTA were appointed by Duterte in 2019 and by Marcos in 2022 following the extension of the transition period.
Election watchdog Legal Network for Truthful Elections (LENTE) also opposed the resetting of the regional election in the BARMM in May 2025, which will be simultaneously held with the midterm national and local elections.
To recall, the BTA passed Resolution 641 last October 22 requesting the Senate and the House of Representatives to postpone the regional election from 2025 to 2028 “to allow sufficient time to resolve legal issues affecting the parliamentary elections, ensure broader participation of political parties and a full understanding by the Bangsamoro electorate of the new parliamentary elections, and enable the Bangsamoro government to sustain the momentum of socio-economic progress in the region.”
On November 4, Escudero filed Senate Bill 2862 seeking to postpone the first BARMM elections from May 12, 2025 to May 11, 2026. The following day, House Bill 11034, authored by Speaker Martin Romualdez and Lanao del Sur 1st District Representative Zia Alonto Adiong, was filed seeking also to cancel the Bangsamoro parliamentary elections.
Both measures cited the Supreme Court decision that excluded Sulu from the Bangsamoro region.
“None of the reasons constitutes a public emergency or other critical exigency demanding a delay. The issue of Sulu’s exclusion from the BARMM, while significant, does not prevent BARMM residents from exercising their voting rights for the remaining 73 parliamentary seats. By failing to present a compelling justification, these reasons may appear superficial when weighed against the significant democratic right to timely, periodic, and genuine elections,” LENTE executive director Ona Caritos said in a statement.
CSAT asserted that the Supreme Court decision should not obstruct the democratic process in the BARMM or disenfranchise voters.
“We collectively call on Congress to uphold the first parliamentary election in the BARMM on May 12, 2025. This landmark event will signify the transition from a transitional regional government, enabling the Bangsamoro people to demand genuine accountability and transparency from their leaders,” the group said.
Among others, the group is composed of Rashid Bangcolongan of the Consortium of Bangsamoro Civil Society – Sharief Alawi, Arlene Napoles Sevilla of the Tawi-Tawi Alliance of Civil Society Organizations, Khuzaima Maranda of Thuma Ko Kapagingud Service Organization Inc., Tirmzy Abdullah of the Lanao Initiative for Transformation and Sustainable Development, and Nelson Mukaram, Kapatut Bangsa Sug. (Bong S. Sarmiento / MindaNews)
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