Bangsamoro MPs seeks to remove ‘none of the above’ from ballots
COTABATO CITY (MindaNews / 12 Nov) — A group of Bangsamoro Parliament members (MPs) has introduced a bill aiming to amend the region’s electoral code by removing the “none of the above” (NOTA) option from official ballots.
BTA bills Nos. 395 and 396, passed on first reading on November 10, seek to resolve issues surrounding the NOTA option on the official ballot, which was introduced in the Bangsamoro Electoral Code.
PB No. 395, filed on August 28, 2025 and authored by MPs Randolph Parcasio, Abdulkarim Misuari, Nurredha Misuari, Saripuddin Jikiri, Romeo Sema, Nabil Tan, and Jose Lorena, aims to clarify the legal effect of votes cast for the NOTA option.
Under the proposal, NOTA votes would be recognized only for “statistical and policy guidance purposes” and would not affect the outcome of elections or the allocation of proportional representation seats.
The measure also specifies that NOTA votes cannot be used as grounds to declare a failure of election.
Lawmakers said the amendment is meant to eliminate ambiguities in the current code that could result in electoral disputes.
Scrap NOTA entirely
Meanwhile, PB No. 396, filed on September 3 by another group of MPs, proposes to remove the NOTA option altogether from the official ballots.
Authored by MPs Ampatuan, Nabil A. Tan, Hadji Abdullah, Kitem Kadatuan Jr., Tomanda D. Antok, Alindatu K. Pagayao, Suharto M. Ambolodto, and Hashemi N. Dilangalen, the bill proposes to amend Section 14, Article VI of the Bangsamoro Electoral Code to exclude the NOTA option, leaving only the names and photos or logos of candidates on the ballot.
The measure directs the Comelec, through the Bangsamoro Electoral Office, to immediately revise the design of the official ballots in time for the Bangsamoro parliamentary elections.
The Bangsamoro Transition Authority has yet to pass a new districting law after the Supreme Court declared the two previous laws unconstitutional and Congress has yet to pass a new law resetting what would have been the first Bangsamoro Parliamentary Elections last October 13.
The Supreme Court on September 30 called on the Bangsamoro Transition Authority to pass a new law by October 30, 2025 and urged Congress to pass a law setting the date of the election no later than March 31, 2026.
Concerns have been raised that the existing NOTA provision could lead to constitutional conflicts and the possibility of unfilled seats in the forthcoming election.
Earlier, the Independent Election Monitoring Center (IEMC) and Institute for Autonomy and Governance (IAG) warned that the NOTA option has the potential of delaying the election process or even result in election failure.
The Legal Network for Truthful Elections (LENTE) urged officials to clarify the NOTA provision, but rejected the view that it could affect the election outcomes in the predominantly Muslim region.
“The Filipino people should always be given an actual and genuine choice when it comes to every election,” LENTE said.
“The ideal policy framework is one where [NOTA] is able to impact the results of the election, whether NOTA gains a plurality or majority,” it added.
LENTE noted that under the code, parties must secure at least 4% of valid votes to qualify for parliament seats.
“As [NOTA] does not fall within the definition of a political party as provided, votes cast in its favor should not be considered for the purposes of allocating seats for a party representative,” it said. (Ferdinandh Cabrera / MindaNews)
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