Sen. Marcos opposes bill to delay BARMM elections

Metro Manila, Philippines – A lawmaker who will lead discussions on the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) parliamentary elections is against the bill to postpone scheduled polls yet again.

Senator Imee Marcos, who is chairperson of the electoral reforms committee, has opposed the proposal of Senate President Francis Escudero to move the elections that have been postponed since 2019, due to related issues including the Supreme Court decision to exclude Sulu from the autonomous region.

“Kailangan marinig ang ating mga kapatid na Muslim at hayaan na sila bumoto sa mga kandidatong tunay na gusto nila,” she said.

[Translation: Our Muslim brothers and sisters need to be heard and they should be allowed to vote for the candidates they truly want.]

The senator added that some BARMM officials might want to stay in power due to the “large amounts of money involved.”

She noted the sizeable block grants, which total around P70 billion per year, saying, “Yung iba siguro gusto na manatili na forever ang kadatungan na yan.”

[Translation: Some people probably want to hold on to that money forever.]

Senate Minority Leader Koko Pimentel also said the BARMM elections “must push through” but added that he is open to discussions on the Escudero bill.

Senator Bato dela Rosa echoed concerns about further delay, noting that the previous Congress committed to a “last postponement.” He also said he is open to hearing both sides.

The Senate hearing on Escudero’s bill is set for Thursday, Nov. 7.