THE BANGSAMORO government welcomed Senate Bill 1823 approval, aimed to reset the first regular parliamentary elections in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).
The Senate passed on third and final reading Senate Bill No. 1823 on March 2, moving the first parliamentary polls from March to Sept. 14, 2026.
Chief Minister Abdulraof Macacua said in a statement released on Monday, March 3, that the Senate’s approval is a crucial step toward the region’s full democratic transition.
“The Bangsamoro Government welcomes the Senate’s approval of the measure resetting the first regular parliamentary elections in the BARMM to September 14, 2026,” Macacua said.
Senate Bill No. 1823 provides a transition process from the current Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA) to a democratically elected Parliament.
“As enshrined in the Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL), this election marks the full exercise of the people’s sovereign will—the formal transition from an interim government to a democratically elected Parliament,” he stressed.
Under the senate bill, elected officials will assume office at noon on Oct. 30, 2026, and to serve until June 11, 2031.
Additionally, from 2031, regular Bangsamoro elections will be conducted every three years on the second Monday of May.
In the interim as the transition period is extended the BTA will continue to serve as interim government until the elected officials from the parliamentary elections are proclaimed.
The bill is awaiting action from the House of Representatives before it can be enacted into law.
“We are committed and ready to participate in the September 2026 elections, fully prepared to uphold a peaceful, credible, and democratic exercise that reflects the true will of the Bangsamoro people, In Sha Allah,” Macacua stressed.
Macacua lauded Senate leadership particularly Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel “Migz” Zubiri, the bill’s principal author and sponsor.
