Senate ratifies BARMM poll postponement bill

MANILA, Philippines — The Senate has ratified a bicameral conference committee report on a proposed law that seeks to reset the first regular elections in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).

Voting 21-2, senators approved the report submitted by the joint congressional panel, which ironed out conflicting provisions of Senate Bill 2214 and House Bill 10121.

The measure seeks to move the date of the BARMM parliamentary and regional elections from May 2022 to May 2025, to synchronize it with the next midterm elections.

Senate President Pro Tempore Ralph Recto and Sen. Panfilo Lacson rejected the measure.

Sen. Francis Tolentino, chair of the Senate panel in the bicameral conference committee, said the reconciled version of the Senate and House bills recognized the power of the President to appoint and the right of the people of the Bangsamoro region to have competent and reliable leaders.

Tolentino said that in reconciling the conflicting provisions of SB 2214 and HB 10121, the conferees of the bicam panel ensured that the passage of the measure would not curtail the power of the President to appoint as provided under the 1987 Constitution.

Under the reconciled version, the Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA) will continue as the interim government in the Bangsamoro region.

The President may appoint 80 new interim members of the BTA, who will serve until June 30, 2025 or until their successors are elected.