The Commission on Elections (Comelec) on Thursday urged the Senate and the House of Representatives to immediately pass the measure setting a new date for the Bangsamoro Parliamentary Elections (BPE).

“We need the law immediately, ASAP (as soon as possible) because that’s where the Comelec will base its actions and the things we still have to do,” Comelec Chairperson George Garcia said in an interview.

“Our commitment is to conduct the BPE against all odds.”

This was after the Comelec thanked Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. for including the proposed BPE law among the government’s 21 priority measures during the recent Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council (LEDAC) meeting.

“Good news for the Comelec that, during the Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council meeting, the President declared the reset of the BARMM (Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao) elections as a priority legislation,” Garcia said.

“The President himself even said that if this law needs to be certified as urgent, he will do so just to ensure that the elections take place this September 2026. That is welcome news to us,” he added.

Senate Bill 1823 has been brought to the plenary, while House Bill 7236 remains pending at the committee level.

After two postponements – from May 2022 to May 2025 and from May 2025 to Oct. 13 last year – the BPE was again supposed to be held on March 30, but the Comelec had to defer it due to time constraints. (PNA)