THE COMMISSION on Elections (Comelec) has assured the public that all systems are a go for the historic, first-ever Bangsamoro Parliamentary Elections, officially scheduled for Sept. 14, 2026.
Speaking at a recent Orientation on the Bangsamoro Peace Process, Bangsamoro Electoral Code, and Media Safety held in Davao City, Comelec spokesperson John Rex Laudiangco said that the poll body is fully equipped and prepared to handle the landmark regional elections.
To ensure the smooth execution of the polls, Comelec is expected to field a massive contingent of over 13,000 personnel.
This figure excludes the separate, extensive deployment of the Philippine National Police (PNP) and the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP).
The electoral exercise will serve a total of 2,393,202 registered voters spread across 108 component cities and municipalities.
Voting will take place in 1,186 designated voting centers, which are further broken down into 5,212 clustered precincts across 2,185 barangays.
Laudiangco emphasized that security timelines and personnel allocations are already being finalized on the ground.
“We are gearing up already,” Laudiangco said. “While we don’t have the exact security personnel numbers yet, as early as last month, we conducted a command conference specifically to map out deployments. Because the official election period begins on July 30, we are reminding the public that they will begin seeing checkpoints by that date. Additionally, the deployment of our PNP partners will be visible by July 16.”
The Comelec spokesperson also noted that specialized security protocols will be enforced in historically volatile areas to safeguard voters and election workers alike.
“In areas with a history of election-related incidents, the public can be assured that we will deploy more security forces,” Laudiangco added. “In fact, it won’t just be the PNP and AFP; a significant number of Comelec personnel will be stationed on the ground to help manage the election. We will also release the official list of election areas of concern once the election period starts.”
The upcoming September polls mark a critical milestone in the peace architecture of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), establishing its formal parliamentary governance structure.
