MANILA — The Commission on Elections is pushing back the filing of certificates of candidacy in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao after the Supreme Court affirmed its constitutionality but also ruled that Sulu is not part of the region.

The plebiscite for the ratification of the Bangsamoro Organic Law in 2019 lost in Sulu but the province was included in BARMM because the entire region did.

The new ruling means Sulu voters will not be electing members to the Bangsamoro parliament.

“Malaki ang epekto dahil kung matatandaan ang configuration ng balota — whether national, local, iba’t-ibang lugar — ay iisa, kaya pag ginawa ang balotang seryeng ito, ay dapat natatapos na, nakapinal na lahat ng mga kandidato,” Comelec spokesperson John Rex Laudiangco said on Teleradyo Serbisyo.

(That has a large effect because our ballots, on all levels, follow the same format. So, when we prepare the ballots, we need to have the final list of candidates)

READ: Sulu Province not part of Bangsamoro Autonomous Region — SC

Laudiangco said the COC filing for candidates in the BARMM has been moved to Nov.2-Nov.9 while filing for the rest of the country will run from Oct.1-8.

He said the Comelec sets the filing of COCs early to give voters and candidates time to reconsider and cancel their candidacies or file objections to others’ candidacies.

He said the Comelec hopes to decide on potential motions and protests at the division level within October, and at the en banc within November to focus on preparing for the elections, including printing ballots, by December.

The midterm elections will be held on May 12, 2025.

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