Marcos says not to delay BARMM elections

MINERVA BC NEWMAN

CEBU CITY – Senator Imee Marcos said no to the postponement of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region for Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) elections adding that it would mean the delay in the region’s economic development and correcting the historical injustice on its people.

“Given the purpose of this (BARMM) law, which is to rectify historical injustice – political, military, as well as economic, it is important that we conduct these elections at the soonest possible time and full political legitimacy in BARMM can only be achieved after elections,” Marcos said.

 In a senate committee hearing on local government Wednesday, Marcos bared that under the law the BARMM elections are conducted at the same time as the national elections on May 2022, but several bills in the Senate and the House of Representatives have called for postponing the regional polls to 2025.

Marcos said that a balance must be struck between fulfilling the main purpose of the BARMM Organic Law and giving the Bangsamoro Transitional Authority (BTA) enough time to cope with difficulties in governance due to COVID-19 pandemic.

Marcos explained that decommissioning militants and weapons and achieving a normal way of life cannot take place without full political legitimacy, without inclusive governance, without the complete exercise of the Bangsamoro people’s voting rights.

She added that only after elections will the BARMM be able to focus on normalization that has been stymied by the pandemic, and to address the region’s unique and difficult circumstances.

The BARMM elections can be held “months or a year after” the May 2022 elections, instead of three years later, Marcos recommended.

Marcos pointed out the the Commission on Elections (Comelec) has been aggressively preparing for the two elections in 2022 including the upgrade of Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) voter lists as well as the registration of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs).

While the BTA is still in place, the BARMM elections will be under the control of Comelec, Marcos cited that despite the pandemic, the Palawan plebiscite on dividing the existing province was done.

“Upon the orders of President Rodrigo Roa Duterte, all elections must continue as close to the stipulated dates as possible,” Marcos added. (Photos: BARMM/Google files)