THE signing of the Bangsamoro Autonomy Act (BAA) 86 on Jan. 20, 2026, by Interim Chief Minister Abdulraof Macacua marks a significant, but delayed, milestone in the region’s long and winding transition. By establishing a 32-district map that finally accounts for the Supreme Court-ordered exclusion of Sulu, the Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA) appears to have cleared the path for the region’s first regular parliamentary elections. Almost, but not quite.
The passage of the districting law was a welcome development but it came 70 days before the Commission on Elections (Comelec)-set March 30 Bangsamoro parliamentary elections (BPE) in compliance with the Supreme Court directive to conduct the BPE on March 31, 2026, at the latest.
The Comelec now faces legal and operational hurdles as it is constrained by the 120-day rule provided in the Voter’s Registration Act (RA 8189) which prevents the alteration of existing polling precincts or the creation of new ones. While the BTA has the mandate to define its internal districts, it lacks the legal muscle to waive the said procedural safeguards. The Comelec also requires a considerable amount of time to prepare for the BPE, including remapping the voter district and polling precinct assignments, printing of district-specific ballots, and configuring the automated election system (AES), among others.
The journey to the current state of the BPE has been a complex tug-of-war between regional legislative efforts, national law and landmark Supreme Court rulings. Here is the timeline of events that led to the current deadlock.
January to February 2019: The Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL) was ratified, creating the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region for Muslim Mindanao (BARMM). BARMM covers the provinces of Lanao del Sur, Maguindanao del Norte, Maguindanao del Sur, Basilan, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi, and the special geographic areas composed of barangay (villages) in the province of Cotabato that opted to join BARMM. The BOL set the first BPE to be held in May 2022.
Oct. 28, 2021: Signed into law, Republic Act (RA) 11593 moved the BPE to May 12, 2025, to extend the region’s transition period due to the Covid-19 pandemic and the need to finalize the regional electoral code.
March 8, 2023: The BTA passed the Bangsamoro Electoral Code (BEC).
Feb. 28, 2024: The BTA passed the Bangsamoro Parliamentary Districts Act of 2024, also known as, BAA 58.
Sept. 9, 2024: In a landmark ruling, the Supreme Court excluded Sulu from the BARMM, finding its inclusion unconstitutional because the province voted “No” in the 2019 plebiscite which rendered vacant the seven district seats allocated for Sulu. The exclusion of Sulu from the BARMM affected the BARMM parliament which was designed to have 80 seats.
Feb. 19, 2025: Republic Act 12123 moved the BPE to Oct. 13, 2025.
Aug. 19, 2025: The BTA passed the Redistricting Act of 2025, or BAA 77, reallocating Sulu’s seats to other provinces.
Sept. 30, 2025: The Supreme Court strikes down BAA 77 as unconstitutional. The high court ruled that BAA 77 was passed into law after the election period had started on Aug. 14, 2025, violating the 120-day rule. The Court also found that BAA 77 did not comply with the requirement that a district has to have contiguous coverage of local government units. In the same decision, the high tribunal ordered the BTA to come up with a districting law that complies with the contiguity and population size requirements by Oct. 30, 2025. While recognizing the power of Congress to postpone and reset the dates of elections, the Court canceled the Oct. 13, 2025 BPE and directed the Comelec to conduct the BPE not later than March 31, 2026.
Dec. 22, 2025: Comelec through Resolution 11183 suspended the filing of certificates of candidacy (COCs) for the March 2026 BPE originally set for Jan. 5 to 9, 2026, citing the lack of a new districting law. Without it, candidates cannot file COCs for specific district seats.
Jan. 20, 2026: The new Parliamentary District Act, BAA 86, was signed into law. BAA 86 established 32 single-member parliamentary districts across BARMM, an indispensable step for the region’s first regular BPE.
The impasse: A valid district map is now available but the Comelec is constrained by the 120-day rule and time is quickly running out for the March BPE.
Comelec is now looking to Congress to act.
Three bills have been filed in Congress:
Senate Bill 1587 filed by Sen. Juan Miguel Zubiri is proposing March 30 as the final date to hold the BPE. If Congress sets the BPE to March 30, it needs to waive the 120-day rule for the electoral exercise to be conducted.
Senate Bill 2862 introduced by Sen. Francis Escudero on Nov. 5, 2024, the bill sets the BPE to May 11, 2026.
House Bill 7236 introduced by Rep. Zia Alonto Adiong sets the conduct of the BPE for Sept. 28, 2026. The bill also includes key provisions: a) allowing the BTA to continue as the interim government until the newly elected officials take office on Dec. 1, 2026: b) mandates the reopening of the filing period of the COCs: and c) requires the use of the AES used in the 2025 midterm elections.
The signing of BAA 86 on Jan. 20 was a victory for regional self-governance, but it was a late one. What needs to happen now is for Congress to act swiftly on the bills. As Congress deliberates, the focus should remain on providing the Comelec with the time and legal protection it needs to ensure that the 2026 polls are not just “done,” but “done right.” The integrity of the Bangsamoro transition depends on it.
