Philippines holds first parliamentary elections in autonomous Bangsamoro region on the 14th
By Abdullah Baqas (News Report) Kuala Lumpur, Sept 11 (KUNA) -- Approximately 2.4 million voters in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) in the southern Philippines are preparing to participate in parliamentary elections on September 14, marking the end of the transitional governance phase and opening a new chapter in a political process that followed decades of conflict in the region.
The Commission on Elections (COMELEC) stated in a statement regarding preparations for the vote that arrangements have entered their final stages, with the distribution of voting cards, automated counting machines, and other electoral supplies to various areas of Bangsamoro.
COMELEC Chairman George Erwin Garcia said that polling station personnel received the equipment before Friday, with final tests and the sealing of counting machines to be conducted at 5,212 polling centers across the region on Saturday, two days before the voting. The winners will be announced approximately two days after election day.
For his part, Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. described the elections in a press statement as the "fruit of a comprehensive peace process that began in 1968, followed by the Tripoli Agreement, and culminating in Bangsamoro." He linked the vote to a long journey aimed at ending armed conflict and entrenching autonomy in the southern regions with Muslim majorities.
Marcos Jr. affirmed that his government would work to ensure the elections are safe, peaceful, and credible, and to protect the right of Bangsamoro voters to cast their ballots freely and without fear. He also declared September 14 a special holiday in the region to allow residents to participate in the voting.
On his part, Abdulwahid Makil, head of the Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA), previously stated that the region emerged from a long and difficult history of conflict, displacement, and neglect, during which its people maintained their faith, dignity, and right to determine their future.
Makil emphasized that the next phase must demonstrate the capacity of autonomy to improve residents' lives, address poverty, and drive development, stressing that safeguarding peace gains is a shared responsibility among institutions, local authorities, former combatants, women, youth, and various components of society.
The Bangsamoro elections differ from traditional local elections in the Philippines as they are based on a special parliamentary system established by the region’s Basic Law following peace agreements with Moro movements. The parliament consists of 80 members: 40 seats allocated to regional parties under proportional representation, 32 seats for representatives of districts elected directly, eight seats for societal sectors including Muslim scholars, women, youth, and traditional leaders, two seats for indigenous non-Moro populations, and two seats for settler communities, reflecting the region’s social and religious diversity.
On election day, voters will choose one regional political party, one representative for their district, and six "sectoral" representatives. A party must secure at least 2.5 percent of the valid votes to participate in the distribution of the 40 seats reserved for party representation.
Residents do not directly elect the head of the Bangsamoro government; instead, the elected parliamentarians choose the head by majority vote after the council is formed. The head of government will manage the executive branch, appoint heads of regional ministries and agencies, and nominate two deputies to be elected by the parliament.
The Bangsamoro Transition Authority will continue to administer the region until the elected parliament and government assume their duties following the elections. Since the region’s establishment in 2019, the BTA has been building governance institutions and enacting legislation to regulate the transitional phase, paving the way for the shift from temporary administration to an elected parliamentary system.
Under Republic Act No. 12317, signed by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. last March, the term of elected officials will begin on October 30 next year and end on June 30, 2031. This first term is exceptional, as subsequent elections will coincide with national and local elections starting in May 2031, and will thereafter be held every three years.
Authorities have strengthened security measures ahead of the vote. The Philippine National Police and the Armed Forces have deployed thousands of personnel to secure polling centers, roads, and vote-counting sites, while strictly enforcing the ban on carrying firearms during the electoral period.
Authorities are monitoring several election-related risks, including intense political competition, clan feuds, land disputes, and the activity of armed groups in certain areas. COMELEC has classified several areas in Bangsamoro under different levels of security concern ahead of the voting.
The term "Moro" refers to Muslim communities that possess distinct traditions, leadership systems, and Islamic identity, and who resisted both Spanish and American colonization. Their cause is historically linked to demands for preserving their religious and cultural identity and obtaining broader autonomy in southern Philippines.
Demands for self-determination escalated following the Jabidah massacre in 1968, which contributed to the emergence of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF). The Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) later split from the MNLF. The Philippines established an autonomy zone in 1989, and the government signed a peace agreement with the MNLF in 1996.
Subsequently, the government conducted separate negotiations with the MILF between 1997 and 1999, alongside ongoing tensions and armed clashes. Fighting intensified in 2000 after then-President Joseph Estrada declared a total war against the MILF, leading to its withdrawal from negotiations and a resumption of confrontations and displacement.
Talks resumed in 2001, and the Tripoli Agreement for Peace was signed that year with the participation of Libya and Malaysia. In 2002, the Philippine government and the MILF established a joint security cooperation mechanism, and a ceasefire was reinforced in 2004 with the creation of an International Monitoring Team involving Malaysia.
The peace process experienced periods of setback, renewed violence, and displacement in the following years, before negotiations gradually resumed. The two parties reached the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro in 2014, followed by the signing of the Bangsamoro Basic Law in 2018, paving the way for the creation of the autonomous region and the establishment of stable local governance institutions.
Thus, the elections represent the first transition in Bangsamoro from appointed transitional administration to a government deriving its legitimacy from voters. They also serve as a test of the peace process’s ability to transform forces that engaged in armed conflict for decades into elected parties and institutions managing an autonomy that retains its Islamic identity within the Philippine state. (End) A.B./S.M.A.
