Printing of BARMM ballots stopped
THE Commission on Elections (Comelec) has halted the printing of ballots for the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) parliamentary polls following the approval by the bicameral conference committee of its postponement to Oct. 13, 2025. The BARMM polls were originally set to be held together with the May 12 midterm elections. Comelec Chairman George Erwin Garcia said on Monday that with the approval by the bicameral conference committee, it is most likely that there is already an enrolled bill that would be submitted for the president's signature. "We will not continue printing ballots for the BARMM parliamentary elections because there is a high probability that there is an enrolled bill that will become a law," Garcia said in Filipino in a radio interview. He said the printing of BARMM ballots for the national and local elections on May 12 is ongoing. The National Printing Office (NPO) has so far printed about 32 million ballots or 42 percent of the 72 million ballots that would be used in the upcoming midterm polls, the poll chief said. The Comelec was supposed to print two sets of ballots for the regional polls, consisting of 2,378,829 for the BARMM-NLE and 2,295,352 for the BARMM-Parliament or a total of 4,674,181 ballots. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. certified as urgent the postponement of the first parliamentary polls in the BARMM. This would be the second time that the BARMM parliamentary polls would be postponed if the measure is signed into law. The Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL) originally set the BARMM parliamentary elections on May 2023 but in 2021, a year before he stepped down from office, former president Rodrigo Duterte signed Republic Act (RA) 11593, moving the date of the first regular elections in the BARMM elections to May 12, 2025, synchronized with the midterm elections. Garcia said the Comelec needs an additional budget of at least P2.5 billion for a separate BARMM parliamentary polls. Garcia also noted that based on the draft bill that he saw, no specific amount was mentioned though it stated that the funding for the regional parliamentary polls would be sourced from the current budget appropriation or the budget department could source it out from other existing budgets. He said once the bill is signed into law, the Comelec can start preparations for the filing of certificate of candidacy (COC) in June, and the printing of ballots in July or August. "We must remember that this is a new reprinting of the ballot," he said. Garcia also pointed out that it is possible that the parliamentary polls, depending on the final version of the proposed law, will be considered a continuation of the national and local elections. "If it is a continuation of the national and local elections, the Comelec need not conduct a new bidding. Those that we already procured would only be amended from the original contract so that we need not conduct anymore a new procurement. It all depends on the law that the president will sign," he said. He explained that it would be easier and cheaper if the parliamentary polls would be considered a continuation of the regular elections. "If it is a special separate election, there will also be a separate number of teachers, new number of polling precincts and new election paraphernalia," Garcia added.
Tomas Kauer - Moderator 
THE Commission on Elections (Comelec) has halted the printing of ballots for the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) parliamentary polls following the approval by the bicameral conference committee of its postponement to Oct. 13, 2025.
The BARMM polls were originally set to be held together with the May 12 midterm elections.
Comelec Chairman George Erwin Garcia said on Monday that with the approval by the bicameral conference committee, it is most likely that there is already an enrolled bill that would be submitted for the president's signature.
"We will not continue printing ballots for the BARMM parliamentary elections because there is a high probability that there is an enrolled bill that will become a law," Garcia said in Filipino in a radio interview.
He said the printing of BARMM ballots for the national and local elections on May 12 is ongoing.
The National Printing Office (NPO) has so far printed about 32 million ballots or 42 percent of the 72 million ballots that would be used in the upcoming midterm polls, the poll chief said.
The Comelec was supposed to print two sets of ballots for the regional polls, consisting of 2,378,829 for the BARMM-NLE and 2,295,352 for the BARMM-Parliament or a total of 4,674,181 ballots.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. certified as urgent the postponement of the first parliamentary polls in the BARMM. This would be the second time that the BARMM parliamentary polls would be postponed if the measure is signed into law.
The Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL) originally set the BARMM parliamentary elections on May 2023 but in 2021, a year before he stepped down from office, former president Rodrigo Duterte signed Republic Act (RA) 11593, moving the date of the first regular elections in the BARMM elections to May 12, 2025, synchronized with the midterm elections.
Garcia said the Comelec needs an additional budget of at least P2.5 billion for a separate BARMM parliamentary polls.
Garcia also noted that based on the draft bill that he saw, no specific amount was mentioned though it stated that the funding for the regional parliamentary polls would be sourced from the current budget appropriation or the budget department could source it out from other existing budgets.
He said once the bill is signed into law, the Comelec can start preparations for the filing of certificate of candidacy (COC) in June, and the printing of ballots in July or August.
"We must remember that this is a new reprinting of the ballot," he said.
Garcia also pointed out that it is possible that the parliamentary polls, depending on the final version of the proposed law, will be considered a continuation of the national and local elections.
"If it is a continuation of the national and local elections, the Comelec need not conduct a new bidding. Those that we already procured would only be amended from the original contract so that we need not conduct anymore a new procurement. It all depends on the law that the president will sign," he said.
He explained that it would be easier and cheaper if the parliamentary polls would be considered a continuation of the regular elections.
"If it is a special separate election, there will also be a separate number of teachers, new number of polling precincts and new election paraphernalia," Garcia added.
